The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, has announced a review of the price for the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy.
According to Wike’s directive, the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy will now cost N3.5 million, a reduction from the previously proposed cost of N5 million.
This was revealed by Wike during his second monthly ministerial media parley, which was held on Friday, November 24th, in his office.
The minister, who spoke on a wide range of issues, disclosed that the decision to reduce the cost of C of O was based on the recommendations of the Task Force set up on the issuance of C of Os in mass housing estates and the recovery of land use contravention fees.
It should be noted that the Task Force proposed a payment of N5 million, which was widely opposed by stakeholders, causing the formation of an interface between estate developers and residents’ associations.
During that meeting, the minister hinted at the prospect of lowering the cost of issuing the land deed.
The Minister further added that the new certificates will have additional security elements such as the National Identification Number (NIN) and the Bank Verification Number (BVN) for individuals and business organizations, respectively.
The Minister equally disclosed that payment of the N3.5 million will not apply for recertification but will be applicable only for new issuances.
His words are, “Those who have C of O don’t need to pay this money. The highest you can pay is maybe N50,000, and for corporate bodies, maybe N100,000 because you already have a C of O. All you are doing is recertifying in order to incorporate these new features.”
Speaking on efforts to boost revenue generation in the FCT, the FCT Minister also emphasized that the FCT Administration will enforce the payment of property tax and ground rent, threatening those who fail to pay with the revocation of their allocations. He emphasized that the payment of ground rent must be enforced in order to support IGR.
He said, “Over the years, nobody has been able to enforce the payment of ground rent. I came on board, and I said, Okay, it can’t be business as usual. You have property; you are given a C of O to back up your property.
“In that C of O, you are told to be paying annual ground rent. For the past 15 years, you didn’t pay. Some people, for the past 20 years, have never paid.
“And you know, Nigerians, they said nothing would happen. I came and said something would happen, and they had to pay. Seeing that we mean what we have said, if you don’t pay, we will revoke, and we have been doing that, people are now queuing up to pay. Go to AGIS; people are queuing up, and that has now increased our IGR.”
Wike stated that IGR in the FCT has increased from N14 billion to over N20 billion each month.
To guarantee that capital projects receive priority attention, the Minister announced that the FCT budgeting process will be modified, with 70% of the budget committed to capital projects and 30% for overhead expenses.
Speaking on vital current projects in the FCT, notably the Abuja mass rail transport program, the Minister stated that they will be finished by the one-year anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government in May 2024.
He noted that funding for the projects has been included in the FCT 2023 supplementary budget and that the contractors performing the projects have given assurances that the projects will be completed on time.
Wike also stated that the FCT would begin operating mass transportation buses and taxis on the routes of Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse, and Garki next month, with tricycles, popularly known as Kepe Napep, being phased out by January 2024.
Wike also stated that the FCTA will spend approximately N600 million to repair the mass transit buses in its fleet, which will be deployed on various routes to improve transportation.
“We are launching vehicles for mass transit in December. Again, it’s part of the supplementary budget we submitted for Mr. President to transmit to the National Assembly.
“The fund is there. We are anticipating that the National Assembly will pass it. We have started the procurement process so that, as it comes, we will not be delayed.
“We have the money in our account. All we are seeking is approval by the National Assembly for us to be able to spend.
While bemoaning the FCT Administration’s rising wage costs, Wike offered to conduct a forensic audit of workers to identify the FCTA’s true workforce strength.
