From Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The FCT Administration has put the number of the Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) currently unclaimed from the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) in the past 10 years at 11,263.
The documents have been left unclaimed in AGIS vault in the past decade, according to the Deputy Director, Information and Customer Service, AGIS, Mohammed H. Sule, in a statement, describing the failure of the bona fide owners to claim the C-of-O as unjustified.
He condemned the attitude of the owners, saying the documents were expected to be put into use with multiplier effects on the lives of the citizenry.
He urged the owners of the C-of-O to come forward and collect them forthwith.
He also revealed that the FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello signed 2,493 C-of-O from May 2015 to May 2019.
The breakdown of some of the signed certificates by the FCTA include agriculture– 5; commercial – 131; industrial – 36; mixed use – 45; open space /green area – 3; public institution – 59; and residential 2,214.
Sule added that since the minister was re- appointed, the second batch of the C-of-O had been processed, while other batches were in the stage of vetting, production and further processes with high level of due diligence.
“It is equally important to note that the processing and issuance of Certificates of Occupancy is strictly guided by statutory provisions and Land Administration policies of the FCT,” he said.
Sule also shed light on the complaints from estate developers on land allocation, saying the allegations are frivolous and far from the truth.
He insisted that estate developers, who are usually given allocation of land with a letter of intent to build houses for sale to would be beneficiaries cannot sell plots of land but completed houses with secondary and tertiary infrastructure like road network, electricity and water supply within their respective estates. The FCTA provides the primary infrastructure.
“The estate developers with genuine titles are under terms and condition with the FCTA, part of which at the end of development and sales, are expected to submit the names of all the beneficiaries / buyers of their houses to the FCTA for subsequent issuance of individual titles as well as C-of-O. To date, majority of these estate developers have not come up with the list (s) of buyers of their houses; and C-of-O are not meant for the developers but the buyers of these houses. Although the list must be provided by the developers to enable the FCT Administration process the titles and certificates.”
