FCTA Threatens to Recover 111 Houses Sold to Civil Servants in Abuja

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has threatened to revoke 111 federal government residential houses that were sold to individuals under the monetisation policy initiated by the federal government but were converted for other uses.

The Director, Department of Development Control, FCTA, Mukhtar Galadima, issued the threat yesterday to maintain the sanctity of the Abuja Master Plan.

He warned defaulters that cut across all the districts of the capital city to revert to the original land plan October 31, 2023 otherwise they should consider such properties as revoked and returned back to FCTA from November 11, 2023.

Galadima added that FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had approved and directed that all owners of such property should revert the use of the property to the designated land use plan which is residential.

He recalled that the federal government in 2005 initiated the monetisation programme/land use conversion because of the cost of maintaining the houses and explained that the houses were sold to the occupiers so that they could maintain them.

He, however, lamented that after some time, some of the beneficiaries converted the houses from residential to other uses, which constituted so much burden in terms of city administration and management that FCTA felt it could no longer condone.

“It is on this note that the minister has approved and directed that all owners of such properties should revert from the use of the properties to its original and designated land use which is residential.

“Failure to comply with this directive as from November 1, the house is considered as revoked and there will be no right over such property again.

“We are giving such persons and individuals to the end of October to revert to original uses, otherwise from November 1, they should consider such properties as revoked and returned to FCTA,” Galadima threatened.

He also added that Wike had also directed that owners of properties, particularly along major streets that have converted their properties to other uses without approval should either revert to original use or pay contravention charges.