Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bar Nyesom Wike, has established a Task Force to oversee the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy for mass housing projects and the recovery of land use contravention fees in the FCT.
Ina statement by the Director of Press, Anthony Ogunleye, who stated that each house in Mass Housing Estates within FCT must obtain Certificates of Occupancy which are payable by allottees, revealed that the task force will be headed by Estate Surveyor Michael O. Chinda, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Lands, Urban and Regional Planning and have a one-month deadline to complete its assignment.
The statement asserted that it will include members from various departments such as Land, AGIS (Abuja Geographic Information System), Development Control Mass Housing, Urban & Regional Planning and Surveying & Mapping.
He warned that those who have violated land use regulations must pay penalties as deterrence measures since numerous residential allocations in FCT have been converted into commercial purposes without permission.
While generating revenue is essential for financing developmental projects in FCT; it must also ensure that these activities conform with legal provisions concerning controlled development practices.
The Minister directed that there should be provisions made for land allottees located within Area Councils who don’t possess certificates of occupancy so they can receive their land documents quickly.
Barrister Wike expressed his displeasure over scenarios where hectares allocated for mass housing developments were sold off by developers instead of being utilized accordingly.
He warned defaulters not to expect any leniency when the committee begins its work because internally generated revenue funds most developmental projects across non-oil states like Abuja.
Zenith Bank Plc has been mandated to provide funding enabling activities associated with this task force while collected funds via this committee shall be deposited into said bank account(s).
ESV Michael Chinda reassured everyone present that his team would perform all assigned duties diligently while commending Barrister Wike’s steps towards sanitizing land administration processes throughout Abuja city limits.
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