Seven hundred and sixty-two Nigerians, including House of Representatives Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, and organisations have lost their plots of land in the high-brow Maitama 1 District and other parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike revoked their Certificates of Occupancy (Cs-of-O) and threatened to withdraw the Rights of Occupancy (Rs-of-O) of 614 other individuals and companies if they fail to pay outstanding bills on their plots within two weeks.

The decisions by the minister were contained in two separate public notices published yesterday by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The revocation, according to one of the notices published, was informed by the unwillingness of the affected persons, who are mostly serving and former public office holders, to pay the Cs-of-O) of the affected plots of land.

The second notice hinged on the threat to cancel the Rs-of-O due to the allottees? failure to pay outstanding bills on their plots.

One of the revoked Cs-of-O is that of the land belonging to the Muhammadu Buhari Trust Foundation.

However, Shehu Garba, media aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari, clarified that the land belonged to the foundation and not his principal.?

Other prominent persons listed in the revocation notice are Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume and his wife, Regina; former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State; former Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara), Ahmad Sani (Zamfara) and Kabiru Gaya (Kano).

Also on the list are Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno; Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Abdul Ningi, Dino Melaye, Smart Adeyemi, Sunday Karimi, Abdulfatai Buhari, Barnabas Gemade, Shehu Sani, Adeyemi Adaramodu, Abba Moro, Danjuma La?ah and Abdulmumin Jibrin, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, Obinna Chidoka, Nicholas Mutu, Dan Reneiju, Ezenwa Oyewuchi, Chinyere Igwe, David Umaru, Oluwole Oke and Oker Jev.

The list also contains the names of former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche; former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin, Nnenna Ukeje, Dapo Lam-Adesina, Leo Ogor, Francis Alimkhena and Lynda Ikpeazu.

Those threatened with revocation orders in the second notice include two former Senate Presidents? Iyorchia Ayu and Ameh Ebute?; Senators Andy Uba, Biodun Olujimi, Agom Jarigbe, Kingsley Chinda, and Ben Obi; former Ebonyi State Governor Sam Egwu; erstwhile Aviation Minister Stella Oduah; and Deputy Governor of Edo State Dennis Idahosa.

Also on the list are the Labour Party(LP) presidential candidate in last year?s general election Peter Obi, former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke; former National Planning Minister Udo Udoma, late SGF Ufot Ekaette; Publisher of Leadership, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah and Senator Victor Oyofo.

A former Supreme Court Justice and Chairman of the 2005 National Conference, the late Niki Tobi; a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi; Chidinma, wife of a former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka; and Paul Nwabiukwu, media aide to the Director-General of World Trade Congress (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are among others listed.

The corporate entities with their allocation revoked are BUA Group, whose plot is at 335 in Katampe; Julius Berger Nigeria with a plot at 2217 also in Katampe and Honeywell Construction with a plot at 653 in the Idu Industrial Area of the FCT.

The second notice by the FCTA reads: ?The Federal Capital Territory Administration wishes to inform the allottee (s)/title holder (s) of plots of land in Maitama 1 who have failed to make payment for their Certificate of Occupancy (Cs-of-O) bills after the expiration of grace period granted by the Honourable Minister, Federal Capital Territory that their Right of Occupancy to the land/property have been withdrawn, pursuant to the provisions of Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978 for contravention of the terms of grant which obligated the title/interest holders to settle all bills.

?Section 28 of the Land Use Act, to which the FCTA notice referred, stipulates how landed properties vested in individuals can be revoked by authorities. Subsection Five empowers state governors (the Minister of the FCT in the case of Abuja) to revoke a statutory right of occupancy on the ground of-

?(a) a breach of any of the provisions which a certificate of occupancy is by section 10 of this Act deemed to contain; ?breach of any term contained in the certificate of occupancy or in any special contract made under section 8 of this Act. The non-payment of statutory fees by landowners are considered violations for which allocated plots can be revoked.

?The Federal Capital Territory Administration hereby informs the general public, particularly allotee (s)/title holder (s) of land in the Maitama 1 District of the FCT who have since made payment of their outstanding Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) bills to as a matter of urgency pay the balance of their bills within two weeks from the date of this publication or have their Rights of Occupancy (Rs-of-O) titles withdrawn.?

Following online media reports, Shehu debunked claims that the revoked land listed as Muhammadu Buhari Trust Foundation belonged to his boss.

Shehu explained in a statement that the foundation was established by individuals close to the former President.

He said the foundation lawfully acquired the land with support from well-meaning Nigerians but encountered bureaucratic hurdles when the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) presented an unusually high bill for the issuance of the C?of?O.

?This bill was far higher than what was typically charged to similar organisations,? he said, adding that the revocation of the property rights came as no surprise.

He further stressed that Buhari, during his tenure, had demonstrated a personal disinterest in acquiring additional land in Abuja.

?When he and his cabinet members were invited to apply for land in the FCT, he returned the form unfilled, stating that he already owned a plot and that others without land should benefit instead,? Shehu explained.

He chided commentators spreading ?misinformation? about the revoked plot.

?Let those jumping up and down in the digital space get their facts right and stop dragging the name of the former president into baseless controversies,? Shehu said.

The FCT Minister had in September last year announced the revocation of Cs-of-O of 165 plots in Abuja.

Last month, Wike emphasised that he would not mind hurting the rich in the reforms he was introducing in the territory.

He also pegged the cost of obtaining a C-of-O at N5 million, with a four-month window for payment, and vowed to end multiple allocations of the same plot to different people. (The Nation)

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