Thank you Habib for this contrubution,and it is good to hear from you again.
You are indeed right when you remind us that we cannot take anything with us
when we die.

Jabou Joh

In a message dated 7/5/2001 10:36:51 AM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Jabou,</DIV>
This is an issue that is so complicated that even the government does not
have the right answers. Lands office (to the best of my own personal
knowledge) controls only "Tubab Banko" ie post colonial era where the
Europeans colonizers set up their colonial rule. The rest is up to the local
chiefs who controlled their districts. There were a few citizens who were
given "free hold lands" from the colonial masters which means that the state
no longer has any say in those lands except some proprty taxes. This is
different with the" leasehold lands " which is state owned and they are
usually leased only for 99 years which most people in Banjul and the kombos
currently have. The State Government has a right to reassign or renew the
leased land after that 99 years lease expires but  it cannot do so with Free
hold land owners.<DIV></DIV>
It is complicated when you have third parties who purchase properties without
renewing the old lease from the previous owners ( who may have used up 30 or
50 years from the original 99 years) .<DIV></DIV>
On a final note , this land issue has caused tribal wars in Africa, the
Arabian peninsula, and many parts of Asia when the current settlers claim
land that belong to the original tribes because they have been around for a
substantial period of time. The issue of "Surgas" who work on your farm land
for free and can use a portion for themselves as pay is another gray area
that is a potential bomb if the children of those "surgas" grow up and become
part of the village.<DIV></DIV>
In Nigeria almost all the tribal wars in Ogoni land vs the neighboring Uroba
tribe erupts almost every year when it is time to clear up the bushes for new
farm land.<DIV></DIV>
I hope you can see the picture more clearly but I welcome any contributors
who can add or correct me if I am wrong. <DIV></DIV>
My take on this is basic and I hope that some on the G-L would nt feel
offended by the religious remark I am about to make. I feel that if we follow
the Quran and the laws of God in all the main religions and accept the fact
that we do not really own anything in this world and just passing through a
lot of this land issue would not be so controversial because when we die we
do not take anything with us not even the land we are buried on.
I commend your on all your contributions and due to my busy travelling
schedule I am no longer active on the G-L because of time constraints.
With best regards,
Habib Diab Ghanim
  >>

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