| Abstract: | The need of Fulanis for secured access to land is a long time policy challenge in Nigeria but progress in achieving this is far from being made. Meanwhile, access to land, of Fulanis that are settled among the Yorubas in southwest Nigeria, is dependent on land rights regimes operating in Yoruba communities. The study examines the nature of land rights in southwest Nigeria and how these provide access to Fulanis for their livelihoods activities. The study hypothesised that land access and land rights relate significantly to livelihood security of the Fulanis. The study was conducted in three States, namely, Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti States. Two major settlements of the Fulanis were selected from each of the States and 20 Fulani households were sampled purposively from each settlement. Forty‐two Yoruba farmers were also interviewed to understand the land rights regimes operating in their communities. Non‐parametric Chi‐square analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that communal land right regime operates in most communities in the region and designates use rights to Fulanis. Fulanis in Oyo State had management rights which gave them secured access to land in their host communities than their counterparts in other States. The hypotheses tested show significant relationship between land rights and livelihood security of the Fulanis (α < 0·05). The rehabilitation of existing grazing reserves in the region is therefore recommended to grant the Fulanis ownership rights and secured access to land for the security of their livelihoods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
