*Authority vows to revoke 161 allocations
*Ordered holders to turn in certificates within six weeks
Little was heard of the land grabbing misconducts during the last administration of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), hence the ability of the present administration of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under Mallam Mohammed Bello, who is determined to fight corruption in the Nigerian capital city especially the wrong process of property ownership in the territory.
The FCT leadership has ordered an investigation into the illegal award of 161 Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) over plots of land in FCT issued by the past administration of Senator Bala Mohammed.
Daily Times can report that the lands’ titles, which were awarded at the twilight of the departure of the administration of Senator Bala Mohammed are said to have serious issues, as a result of due process, a motive capable of bringing the FCTA to disrepute, if compromised. However, holders of such titles have been handed a six-week deadline, beginning June 23 this year, to turn them in or have the documents voided.
The Chief Press Secretary to the FCTA, Mr. Cosmas Uzodima, who until recently was the public relations officer to the Abuja Geographic Information System, an FCTA agency saddled with the systematic allocation of allocated lands, confirmed that the present administration is currently investigating a plethora of illegally awarded C of Os, which hit the summit during the administration of the past administration, who ensured uncoordinated lands allocations weeks before his departure from office, of which mostly members of the then ruling party, PDP, were involved.
Also confirming the recent decision by the Mallam Bello Mohammed administration, the sitting public relations officer at the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), Alhaji Mohammed Hasat Sule, in corroboration, confirmed this to our reliable source. According to him, holders of the recalled land titles, which comprise both individuals and corporate bodies, cut across the 36 states of the federation and FCT.
He requested all the affected entities to comply within the deadline given, saying they should bring the documents to FCT’s Department of Land Administration at AGIS Building, for proper documentation. It was gathered that the planned verification exercise is the first batch as the exercise would be continuous.
Meanwhile, individuals who incidentally got land allocations during the former FCT’s administration have kicked against the move insisting that not all allocations during Senator Bala Mohammed could be said to be wrongly done.
According to Mr. Ukachukwu Mmadu, owner of landed properties and member of FCT Estate owners association, told Daily Times that present administration should draw a line to what they are about to carry out to avoid court injunctions as individual investors who bought FCT property should not be categorized among politicians who seek lands grabbing in the FCT.
Mr. Unachukwu, believed that his property were genuinely bought from the authority, be it the past or present. He stressed that such stance goes to members of the property investors in the state as true business venture. “We have been in this business and we cannot afford to lose all the money we have invested. What I should do now, is to ensure that all our members submit their documents for verification and we can move on from there but for what I care, our money can never be thrown away.
