In a proactive move to streamline land ownership and regulate land use, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has inaugurated a Task Force. The committee’s primary focus is the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) for mass housing projects and the recovery of land use contravention fees.
Led by Estate Surveyor Michael Chinda, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Lands, and Urban and Regional Planning, the Task Force comprises key members from various FCT departments, including Land, AGIS, Development Control, Mass Housing, Urban and Regional Planning, and Surveying and Mapping.
Wike stressed that the Task Force’s mission is to ensure that each house in the Mass Housing Estates obtains a C of O, with the associated fees to be paid by the allottees. Additionally, the committee is tasked with penalising allottees who have violated land use regulations. The Minister expressed concern over the conversion of residential allocations into commercial use.
“The purpose of setting up the Task force is to make sure that all the Mass Housing, each of the houses own C of O and they have to pay for it,” said Minister Wike, emphasising the need for controlled development aligned with the law.
The Minister directed the Task Force to advertise the fees for land allottees in the Area Councils who lack certificates of occupancy for their plots. He urged the committee to address cases where hectares of land allocated for mass housing development are sold off as individual plots.
Zenith Bank Plc has been designated to provide funds for the Task Force’s operations, with collected funds to be deposited in the bank. Wike issued a stern warning against defaulters, stating the importance of internally generated revenue for FCT’s development projects.
Chairman of the Task Force, Michael Chinda, assured precision, diligence, and professionalism in executing the assignment. He commended the minister for initiating steps to sanitise land administration in the FCT and underscored the importance of legalising land ownership through Certificates of Occupancy.
