Owerri, 18 January, 2024 / 1:54 pm (ACI Africa).
Bishops of Nigeria’s Owerri Ecclesiastical Province have called for wisdom in the way land is sold and shared in the country, expressing concern that urbanization and the quest for development are increasing pressure on land inheritance in the West African country.
In a statement they shared with ACI Africa on Thursday, January 18, the Bishops said that while land remains a “critical factor” in the quest for urbanization and development, “equity demands that those living now must think of the future generations in the way they share and sell ancestral lands.”
“Those persons, families, and communities holding in custody, lands of ancestral inheritance, must act with wisdom, vision, and caution so as not to mortgage the future of the youth,” the Local Ordinaries of Owerri Archdiocese and the Dioceses of Aba, Ahiara, Orlu, Okigwe and Umuahia said.
The Catholic Church leaders added that Nigerians “must be educated to know that beyond the development of estates, land will be needed for increased agricultural output, food security, and job creation.”
In the statement issued after their January 16 -17 meeting, the Bishops noted that segregation along religious and ethnic lines when allocating resources and government appointments are causing division among the people.
