The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has given approval for a significant move to withdraw and revoke houses that were sold to individuals within the capital city but subsequently converted to uses other than residential.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) made this announcement during a press conference held by Mukhtar Galadima, the Director for the Department of Development Control, in Abuja.
According to Galadima, this decision stems from a program initiated by the Federal Government back in 2005 known as the monetization program.
The purpose of this program was to alleviate the costs associated with maintaining these houses, and consequently, they were sold to their occupants.
The intention was for these occupants to take responsibility for the upkeep of the properties.
However, it has come to light that some of these occupants have altered the original residential use of the houses, converting them to different purposes.
In response to this, the minister has authorized the revocation of such properties and has directed the owners to revert them to their original and designated land use, which is residential.
As a deadline, owners have been given until the end of October to comply with this directive.
Failure to do so by November 1 will result in the house being considered as revoked.
The minister has also emphasized that property owners who have altered their properties along major streets without official approval must either revert to the original use or be prepared to pay contravention charges.
The warning issued underscores the seriousness of this matter and signals the government’s determination to restore the intended use of these properties.
Property owners who disregard this directive will face consequences.
This development sheds light on the government’s efforts to maintain the integrity of land use in the Federal Capital Territory.
Politics