Wike gives Abuja land owners three months to develop their properties or have their certificates revoked

FEDERAL Capital Territory (FCT) minister Nyesom Wike has given the owners of undeveloped plots of land in Abuja three months to erect structures on them after which time they will have their allocation papers revoked.

Looking to get to grips with the problem of derelict land in the FCT, Mr Wike said there are currently 189 plots of undeveloped land in Abuja. According to Muhammad Sule, the director of information at the FCT Administration, the affected titled holders had obtained building plan approvals but were yet to develop the properties.

He stated that the affected property owners were expected to develop the property within the stipulated period or have their title documents revoked in line with extant laws. This three-month grace period, he explained, applied to individuals and to corporate organisations that had showed the desire to develop their properties by obtaining building plan approvals.

Mr Sule said: “The minister has extended this gesture to 189 property owners due to their desire to develop the properties by obtaining building plan approvals, a prerequisite for the development of any property in the FCT. Owners of the plots were exempted from revocation because they had already demonstrated firm commitment to develop their property by obtaining necessary documents from the FCT Administration.

“The minister is urging the affected property owners to take advantage of the gesture and develop their plots in line with the terms of their offer of right-of-occupancy." He added that public institutions that had land titles within the FCT but were yet to develop same were also advised to do so within the three months grace period or their title documents would be revoked as well.