The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his commitment to reallocating the 762 revoked plots of land in Maitama, Abuja, if owners fail to pay for their Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) by January 3.
Wike, who inspected ongoing construction projects in Abuja on Tuesday, maintained that the deadline would not be extended.
“We will not. I don’t think we will want to give another grace. After it expires, we will reallocate all those lands to other people who are interested,” he said.
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The minister attributed the revocation to the failure of plot owners to comply with extant laws, despite allocations made over 10 years ago.
He noted that the list of defaulters was generated by the previous administration and verified by the Land Department and the Abuja Geographic Information System.
Wike emphasized that the Right of Occupancy was merely an allocation of land, and allottees were expected to pay for their C of O. “So, when you don’t have the C of O, it means that you have not paid,” he explained.
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The minister reiterated that the FCT’s primary interest was not to reclaim the lands but to ensure payment, which would facilitate development projects.
“Our interest is not to have the lands back; our interest is for the allottees to pay so that we can use the fund for the development of the FCT,” Wike said.
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