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By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Senate President, Senator David Mark has described land as important factor of production requires conscious and quality attention in its management.

Mark, who was represented by Senator Gbenga Ashafa at a “Policy Dialogue meeting” held at Lagos Airport Hotel, said the effective management of land resource could achieve agricultural revitalization, job creation, crop diversification housing construction, infrastructural optimization as well as other myriads of uses that could guarantee posterity and preservation of life.

“Land governance is central to sustainable development of the real sector of the economy and its management therefore should be enhanced through the necessary policy dialogue”

While noting that land is perhaps the scarcest and it remains fixed since creation, the Senate President added that demands for land resources are unlimited but the means through which the demands can be met are limited.

He promised to present the imperatives of the of the “Policy dialogue meeting” to the upper chamber of the National Assembly for any legislative inputs that may be required in moving the country to the next level.

He further disclosed that some of the important inputs made during the “Policy dialogue meeting would be considered by the senators during the constitution review exercise.

Earlier, the co-ordinator of the country Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) Professor Peter Adeniyi of Department of Geography, University of Lagos said the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the World Bank with the support from other partners have promoted an in-country study on “Improving Land Sector Governance in Nigeria.

According to him, the study is a diagnostic tool based on the Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) to help countries assess their policies and practices regarding land governance.

He further explained that the LGAF focuses on five broad thematic areas that have been identified as major areas for intervention in the land sector.

According to Prof. Adeniyi , they include Legal and Institutional Framework, Land Use Planning, Management of Public Land, Public Provision of Land Information and Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management.

He further said that the importance of the senate in making laws for good governance and given that critical role of good land governance in a nation’s socio-economic development that is why the senate participation is highly essential.