Reps, FCT Minister To Recover Over 7,000 FG Properties From Illegal Occupants In Abuja.
By Admin
A House of Representatives sub-committee and the Minister of the ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello, have agreed to work together and address the issues of over 7,000 properties of the federal government being occupied illegally for years in the nation’s Federal Capital City.
This followed the visit paid on the FCT minister by the sub-committee led by its chairman, Hon Jonathan Gaza Gefwi.
Chairman of the Committee said that the visit became necessary so as to discuss ways to address the issues of government properties being occupied without any return to the government over the years.
The lawmaker lamented that since 2005, some people have been living in government houses and were not paying rent or pay for the houses and other properties they were occupying.
According to him, “and by technical definition, these houses have been abandoned. out of the over 32,305 houses that were enumerated, you have about 7,000 of them that have not been sold, which in my opinion haven’t been fully verified, because at a point in time, the duties of this committee was halted, and we’re not able to carry out a detailed verification.
“So, which is to say, if further verification is carried out, we will definitely have much more that have not been sold. Now, these properties that have not been sold, there are a number in Gwagwalada occupied by the NLC, there are a number in Sheda.
There are a number in Hajj Camp and of course you have the bulk being in Abaji and Nyanya. Now, Nyanya is one of particular interest due to the fact that the World Health Organisation had actually said, it is not fit for human habitation.”
He therefore called on the minister to direct all agencies that would be engaged by the committee to give the maximum cooperation to the committee as well as lift all restrictions placed earlier to allow the committee achieve its aims and objectives.”
While responding, the minister promised that the all departments under the ministry concerned with the verification exercise would work closely with the committee others including the committee of the FCT in the House to discharge their assignments.
According to him, “I had the opportunity to discuss some of these issues you raised few weeks ago with you, and you opened my mind to a lot.of things that are hitherto I was not very much aware.
Read Also:2023 Imo Guber: Imo Action Voice (IAV) Says Uzodimma May Run Under PDP Platform.
“And I think, going forward, your suggestions and recommendations of your sub-committee are definitely well taken, and I think it will add value tremendously to our work, and it will continue what we have already been working on, because it has been on progress for quite sometime.
“So, surely, we will work with you, and I am happy that the Acting Perm Sec is here. So, immediately after this meeting, he will direct in writing, the relevant agencies of the FCT administration that are meant to work with you on this matters where they will give the full access and also provide you full support so that, you can do this work.
It could be recalled that, the House, had following a resolution constituted an Ad-hoc Committee headed by Ademorin Kuye to investigate Federal Government abandoned properties across the Federation.
The committee which was later divided into sub-committees to ease its work was to investigate and report to the House, the status, use, and current state of all Federal Government properties across the country including the FCT.
Source: Tribune
