Countdown to May 29: Land grabbers mount pressure on FCT minister

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is under pressure from those who desire to own land in Abuja. This pressure is coming from the presidency, top government officials and/or their relatives/friends, top business people and even staff of FCTA.It is said that aides of President Goodluck Jonathan throng the power house of land in Abuja, […]

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is under pressure from those who desire to own land in Abuja. This pressure is coming from the presidency, top government officials and/or their relatives/friends, top business people and even staff of FCTA.
It is said that aides of President Goodluck Jonathan throng the power house of land in Abuja, the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) daily to complete the process of land allocation or regularize land titles.
A source said, “Never in the history of FCTA have I seen aggressive pursuit of land titles like this.”
Because of this rush, sources said AGIS is harvesting millions of naira from those seeking to secure their Certificates of Occupancy.  It is said that the land grabbers are doing this because they fear that the coming government might revoke titles that have been issued in not quite clear circumstances. Two senior persons in the outgoing administration are said to be daily visitors to AGIS all to ensure they regularize titles for themselves and their associates and relatives.   
FCTA staff are also in the game. Last Thursday, our reporter ran into a group of serving and retired staff of the administration pushing to get their own share of land allocation. They converged on the minister’s office in Area 11 to work out ways they would get the minister to fulfill his promise to them. They complained that though the minister had promised them land and they had coughed up N100,000 processing fee for it, they are yet to be given titles.
After taking roll call of those due for allocation, the meeting resolved to write the minister to urge him to approve the titles because time is running out.
It was gathered that FCT minister conceptualized the idea that those who have worked for FCTA from 1979 be rewarded with a plot of land in recognition of their long service. It was called FCT Long Service Award. Those that had served that long paid N100,000 and filled the requisite forms with AGIS in anticipation of titles.
First beneficiaries got plots in 2011. Government said land would be given according to land availability. They used first come, first served criterion.
Most of those who initially got were workers under the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). Those under FCTA allege that they were left out.
Those that were not given were 260. They wrote but management said out of the number, 200 would be given because plots were not enough to cover all.  
Equally disturbing is out of the 200 promised allocations, 23 were not given.
Another problem is even those who were given complained. One of them spoke with Daily Trust: “People were given land in the area councils – unserviced areas. This land is categorized. If you pay N100,000, you should be given land in serviced area. Some people collected the titles saying it’s better to hold what you have been given then continue with the battle.”
Another one explained, “We’re here to say we have a balance of 60 from what was agreed. Now, 23 out of the 200 are not given. If we add the 23 and the 60, we have 83. Give these people their land also.
“Every year, people will qualify. We know government is winding up. If they can’t give, at least let it be in the handover so that whichever administration comes will know that we have a commitment to honour. We have worked. I’m 35 years working in this same organization next year,” he concluded.
A man who retired last year but is waiting for allocation said, “After payment of N100,000 which we struggled to pay — some of us borrowed from the bank and you said you want to honour us since 2011, is there anything honourable there now? You gave the first batch within the city centre. We had an agreement which you asked us to indicate where we want, which we did.
“The first batch, because they are privileged to be in FCDA, the rest of us who’re in FCTA, they have no consideration for us. The second [batch], they’re pushing them to the area councils whereas the processing fee we paid was for the city centre. If I had put this money somewhere, I’m sure it would have yielded profit,” he said.
But the Director of Establishment and Training, Alhaji Salihu Mohammed while presenting Right of Occupancy title document to beneficiaries in 2011 was quoted as saying the award is only a way of recognizing patriotic efforts of long serving officers and giving them a window to own their own houses in FCT.
He maintained that the award is not a yearly thing and that the award is not yet institutionalized. According to him, it is for those who have served FCTA meritoriously for over 30 years and that government is looking at other forms of reward as recognition as recognition might not be limited to land allocation. He insisted that the award is not a right but expression of the minister’s goodwill.
Head of Information and Customer Service, AGIS Mr Cosmas Uzodinma denied knowledge that there is pressure on FCTA for land and spokesperson for the FCT minister Mr Nosike Oguenyi could not be reached.