Land tenure security perceptions amongst Nigerian rural communities: a case of Atiba Local Government Area (LGA), Oyo State

Subject and purpose of work: Security of tenure is observed as an underlying tool for measuring the development among communities of developing countries. Despite this, the issues related to peoples’ thinking or feelings as well as to what drives security of land tenure are poorly understood and inconclusive. This study examines the residents’ perception of security of land tenure in rural Nigeria. Materials and methods: A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 125 respondents from the study area by administering a questionnaire while key informants were subjected to an in-depth interview. Results: The data for the study were collected and analysed using content analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that the perception of security of land tenure varies in the area studied and across the settlement categories. Further results showed that four factors such as income, length of stay, culture, and education were identified as major factors influencing the residents' perception of the security of land tenure. Conclusions: The study concluded that socio-economic and cultural factors influence the residents’ perception of security of land tenure in the area researched.