Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen are among the 568 Nigerians and companies whose land allotments in Abuja have been revoked by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The revocation includes plots held by political figures, government officials, former governors, lawmakers, and several companies.
Notably, former Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, Senate leaders like Opeyemi Bamidele and Abba Moro, and other political figures such as Ibrahim Hadejia and Abike Dabiri-Erewa are affected.
The revocations follow a public notice by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) issued on Wednesday, January 15, stating that the affected landowners failed to pay for their Certificates of Occupancy, C-of-O, by the deadline of January 15.
As a result, their rights to the plots, located in the Maitama II district of Abuja, have been withdrawn. This action is in accordance with Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978, which mandates that landholders must settle all bills associated with their allotments. The notice clarified that those who completed their payments by the deadline are not affected.
This revocation is part of ongoing efforts to address land management issues in Abuja. It follows similar revocations in December 2023, which included other notable individuals like former President Muhammadu Buhari’s foundation, and previous actions in August and October. In total, hundreds of plots in high-value areas of Maitama have been targeted in the latest land allocation clean-up.
Wike has emphasized his commitment to sanitizing land allocation practices in Abuja, noting that some decisions may not be popular, especially among wealthy landowners, but are necessary for public good.
He also raised the cost of obtaining a C-of-O to N5 million, with a four-month window for payment, in a bid to streamline the process.
