Violators of Abuja Land Use Act to face penalties— Wike vows

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) says violators of the Land Use Act in Abuja will face penalties.

Wike expressed dismay at the abuse of the Land Use Act in Abuja while inaugurating a task force on the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) for mass housing and the recovery of land use contravention fees on Tuesday.

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He stated that those who contravened the Land Use Act must be recertified and pay the appropriate penalties. The minister said the institution of the task force was to ensure that each of the houses in mass housing estates has its C of O and that the owners pay for it.

He lamented that virtually all residential areas have been turned into commercial, stressing that “Something must be done about it.”

“Those approved for residential buildings have converted them to commercial structures, and those given for commercial properties have built residential houses, contravening the Land Use Act.

“There must be recertification and penalties. The only way to deter people from doing this is to make sure that we discourage them, and discouraging them means that if you want to build, you have a penalty to pay, and that penalty must be severe.

“In as much as we want to generate revenue, we also want to control the development of areas. Abuja has to go back to the original master plan. If there is a need to have some amendment, it is the government that will do such amendment, it is not for the allottees to do so on their own,” he said.

The minister gave the committee a one-month timeframe to submit its report.

He accused government agencies in charge of land administration in the FCT of being part of the problem, adding that these agencies were included in the task force to solve the problem they created.

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The task force members include the director of the Department of Development Control; the director of the Department of Land Administration; the director of the Department of Surveying and Mapping; the director of the Department of Mass Housing; the director of AGIS, and two estate surveyors- Emmanuel Mark and Emma Okas, among others.

“I am not interested in who did not comply, and I don’t want anybody to write to me that the task force came. All I need is results. I don’t want excuses,” Wike added.