Using a domain model of social tenure to record land rights: A Case Study of Itaji-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Formal land registration systems have failed to accommodate the wide range of land tenure claims found in developing countries, including land rights under customary and informal tenure systems, thereby leaving the rural people with insecure tenure. To reduce poverty, empower the poor, and ensure economic growth, security of tenure is beneficial. This paper investigates how the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM) can be applied to record customary and informal land rights at Itaji-Ekiti, Nigeria. Primary data was collected by administering questionnaires on a house-to-house basis and conducting interviews with land rights holders. Spatial data was recorded using a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) Garmin Oregon 300 and a mobile application (Topographic Mapper). Secondary data was collected from reports, journal articles, published books and the Google Earth image repository. The data collected through the administered questionnaires was used to analyse perceptions of tenure by the holders of land rights. This study provides additional knowledge for researchers in the field of Cadastral Surveying, as it tested the applicability of the STDM. The model will also help the government of Nigeria with the necessary data for the upgrading of informal settlements, which will provide integrity in land administration.