Women’s Right to Land Ownership in Igbo Land The Legal Perspective

Abstract

Various statutes, customs and traditions of the people guide Right to ownership of land. Culturally, women are seen as lower entities and can only be seen or heard through their husbands/fathers. This has led to the widespread quest for gender equality. Land ownership in Igboland has earlier on been discriminated against girls and women including married women. The 1978 Land Use Act of Nigeria established a state-owned land system that allowed opportunities for men and women to acquire or inherit land in Nigeria. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria also provides for the right to freedom from discrimination resulting from the person’s sex – this is a fundamental right of every woman. There are thus both judicial and statutory authorities that presently empower women/girls to own or inherit landed property in Nigeria. This is unlike before when a girl child cannot inherit her father's property, even a married woman then cannot inherit her husband's property. Infact, the woman is seen as a property that was bought over by the payment of the bride price -thus the men argue 'Can a property inherit a property’? Despite the 1999 Constitution, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other policies, the cases of Ukeje v. Ukeje and other judicial authorities; there are still many Igbo women who are abhorred from inheriting or possessing the land that is due to them. This could be as a result of ignorance, lack of will-power to fight for their right, educational background, discouraging public opinions and others. We shall thus recommend massive sensitization of women at the communities, churches and other places of worship, market places, schools and generally in social gatherings. The study is theoretically frame-worked with sources from the Statutes, the textbooks, articles, thesis, journal publications, newspapers and other oral testimonies and observations from the researcher and some members of the public.