House Committee Threatens to Sanction FCT Real Estate Developers Over Violation of Rules

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The House of Representatives ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Operations of Real Estate Developers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wednesday threatened to sanction real estate developers in Abuja for violating appropriate laid down rules and procedures in carrying out their business.

Members of the Committee during its oversight visit to various sites frowned on the developers for various infractions including failure to deliver to their subscribers and building without relevant authorization from the government among others. Some of the developers whose sites were visited include BILAAD, Brains and Hammers, KYC and EFAB.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon Blessing Onuh, after the tour described their findings as mind-boggling, saying the committee would analyze the various infractions by the developers and deal with them appropriately.

She said, “You are all aware that this is an investigative committee and we are here on a fact finding mission to discover what is on ground, what the reality is. We commenced this committee November last year. And all this while we have been calling developers to our office and also we create a platform between the developers and subscribers to have an interface to discuss. So it is more a theoretical thing. So we are here to see it for ourselves. We are here to practicalize it and know if the developers are in compliance.

“What we have discovered is so mind-boggling. There are a lot of contraventions, a lot of infractions by the developers in some of the places we visited. They do not have building plan approvals. No documents like where we are here in EFAB. No titled documents. All EFAB could present to this committee is just a lease agreement of 2003. There is so much going on here and it is quite unfortunate and we promise that this committee is going to do something about it. We would look at the infractions, analyze them and then we would send those that have infractions and contravention to the necessary authority for intervention.”

Onuh added, “We are here with relevant departments of FCT to do our findings and submit necessary recommendations to the House and the Honourable Minister for action. EFAB violates processes and regulations governing the FCT. It has no building approval yet is one of the biggest developers within the FCT. The committee will not hesitate to recommend severe sanctions and prosecution of everyone involved in these sharp practices.”