Paper long abstract:

Having official land rights and secured land tenure by informal settlement dwellers in global south cities are very fundamental but are also complicated, controversial and often less understood. This paper argues the need for a retrospective approach to the analysis and understanding of the current dynamics in informal settlements using the theoretical framework of historical institutionalism especially the concepts of path dependence and critical junctures. Using Mpape (one of the biggest slums of Abuja, Nigeria) as a case, this study provides a better understanding to why land rights and tenure security in Abuja informal settlements are so controversial and yet to be resolved 42 years after the creation of Abuja as the new capital city of Nigeria. In addition to the fundamental socio-political and power dynamics in Abuja land governance, the 1978 Land use Act, resettlements based on the 1979 Abuja master plan, massive demolitions of informal settlements between 2000 to 2007, and the attempted demolition of Mpape in 2012 are considered to be critical moments that have defined the current dynamics in the governance of Mpape and the contentious politicking over land rights and tenure security.

Keywords

Informal Settlements; Land rights and Tenure Security; Governance; Historical Institutionalism- Path-Dependence and Critical Junctures.

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