The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a fresh two-week ultimatum to owners of 762 plots of land in the Maitama II District, Cadastral Zone A10, Abuja, to settle their outstanding Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) fees.
The directive, disclosed in a statement on Friday by Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, warns that failure to comply will result in the final revocation of land allocations.
On Thursday, reports emerged that the minister had revoked land allocations belonging to prominent Nigerians, including the Muhammadu Buhari Trust Foundation, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, former governor Rochas Okorocha, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, among others.
However, the statement clarified that the government’s primary objective was not to seize lands but to ensure compliance with payment obligations.
The statement read: “It should be recalled that on October 5, 2024, a list of 3,273 allottees/title holders yet to pay for their C-of-O was published. They were given two weeks to pay their bills or lose their Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) titles. Out of the 3,273, a total of 2,511 complied, leaving 762.”
The statement further explained that a notice of withdrawal of R-of-O titles for the 762 defaulters was published on Thursday, prompting many affected allottees to offer payment. To accommodate them, the government extended the deadline by two weeks.
“Consequently, the 762 allottees and 614 others with outstanding payments on their C-of-O have until January 3, 2025, to settle their bills or face the withdrawal of their R-of-O titles, pursuant to the provisions of Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978,” the statement added.
Wike reiterated that there would be no further extensions beyond the January 3, 2025, deadline and warned that the withdrawal of R-of-O titles for defaulters would be final.
