FCT Saves N110bn In Three Months – Wike
Applicants get four months grace period to pay N5m for C of O
Says era of land syndicates, speculators gone for good
BY EVELYN DADU – Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has warned that the era of syndicates thriving in the sales of fake Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) to unsuspecting members of the public is gone for good.
This is as he also disclosed that measures already put in place have saved over N110 billion for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) since his assumption of office in August this year.
“I can tell you authoritatively that I have saved not less than N110 billion for FCTA since I assumed office three months ago. Allocation of lands to three or more persons will no longer be allowed. C of O enables you to do business. When we make the right decision some people will be happy, some will not. We are ready for such a fight”, Wike told a meeting with Estate developers in the nation’s capital.
Also recalling how as the Rivers State Governor, three fake C of Os were issued on his plot after paying the sum of N57 million to the FCTA, the Minister said; “When I was Governor of Rivers State, we had three C of Os from FCT. Three! It turned out that all were fake. The C of Os was coming from FCTA as a government, not as an individual. The plots are allocated or said to be allocated.
“We paid money. When I sent the Liaison Officer, the people from FCTA took him to the land and later, we discovered that it was fake land. Look at the money we had paid. The people disappeared. We could not find them again. Over N57 million that we paid. Why? Because that was how it was being done in the FCT. I have said that it will not work again.”
Expressing displeasure that dubious businesses, especially fake Certificates of Occupancy (C of O), have become the order of the day within the FCTA, Wike said that henceforth, five million Naira (N5m) would be paid by applicants to obtain C of Os, warning that there would be no hiding place for bad eggs within the administration.
He further assured that gone are the days when unsuspecting members of the public would be allocated one plot of land with different fake C of Os, adding that he would be seeking presidential approval to make the National Identification Number (NIN) a compulsory requirement for obtaining a C of O in the territory going forward.
“I will seek Mr President’s approval to link any C of O to the NIN number so that we know when this house falls, we will know the owner. So that when a crime is committed on a property, we will know the owner. This is what happens in developed countries. The rich men will kick against it but anything that will help our people must be done.
“Support this move. There must be sanity in our system. You will attest to the fact that there are changes. How will you feel that at the end of the day, you have a C of O but it is fake or that your land is allocated to another person”?, the Minister told the developers.
On the current monthly wage bill handled by the FCTA, the Minister faulted the payment of over N8.9 billion as salaries for FCTA, and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) workers, noting that the amount was outrageous given the paucity of resources for developmental projects within the federal capital.
Responding to the proposed fees for C of Os, the developers were united in pleading with the Minister to reduce the N5 million payment given the current economic situation and hardship in the country.
However, after listening to the appeal and engaging the developers extensively, the Minister agreed to a four-month grace period to make and complete the payment after which the C of O would be handed over to respective applicants.
