The Impact of Compensation Valuation in Nigeria Infrastructural Development (Published)
The power to compulsorily acquire the interest in land of an individual for overriding public interest is provided in the Land Use Act. Equally, the Land Use Act and the Nigerian Constitution provides for payment of compensation to anyone whose interest in land is expropriated or compulsory acquired for the common good of the people. The aim of this study is to analyze impact of compensation valuation on community engagement in Nigeria infrastructural development projects with a view to ascertaining the correlation between compensation valuation practices and community engagement outcomes. The total sample size for this study was 140 participants (104 Claimants and 36 Estate Surveyors and Valuers) representing a fragment of the 180 (140 Claimants and 40 Estate Surveyors and Valuers) sample frame considering qualitative data collection. The Sample size was determined Using Taro Yamane’s Formular. The opinion of respondents obtained through questionnaire were analyzed both with the use of percentage and frequency table. The findings of this study are analyzed in details. It was discovered that majority of the landowners/community residents are of the opinion that compensation sum offered are unfair and the claimants were not carried along in the decision making process. The research depicts that community members were not fully involved in the compensation valuation decisions thereby in extensively not influencing their willingness of engaging in the infrastructural project. According to a considerable number of estate surveyors and valuers, it has been discovered that the current compensation method outlined by the Land Use Act results in undervaluation of assessed properties, as it fails to reflect their market value accurately. To address this issue, the study strongly recommends that relevant authorities, namely the Federal Government and acquiring authorities, to take prompt action and develop a sustainable compensation valuation process for infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
Keywords: Community, Compensation, engagement, infrastructural development, valuation