Gender Discrimination in Land Ownership and the Alleviation of Women's Poverty in Nigeria : A Call for New Equities

This article outlines how land reform and reform of property rights could alleviate women’s poverty in Nigeria. Despite the prohibition of gender discrimination in the Nigerian Constitution and a prior effort at land reform under the Nigerian Land Use Act of 1978, customary law continues to exclude Nigerian women from land ownership. This deprivation prevents women from accessing the benefits of owning land. The author notes that land reform must be accompanied by legislative reform to guard against efforts to circumvent land redistribution. Western-style legal reforms have failed so far. The author proposes that the ideal approach to land reform in Nigeria must be informed by customs. It must also aim to foster equity, equality, and productivity. For instance, redistributing farmland within households so both wife and husband hold land rights may facilitate women’s productivity in agriculture while taking customs into account.