Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), claims to have saved the administration N110 billion in three months.
During a high-level meeting with an estate developer in Abuja, he made this announcement and conveyed his displeasure with the rate at which false Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) were being issued.
During the meeting, Wike directed that N5 million be paid in order to obtain a C of O.
He indicated that he will seek President Bola Tinubu’s permission to affix a National Identification Number (NIN) to any C of O issued by his administration.
“I have saved N110 billion for FCTA since my assumption of office three months ago. Allocation of [one] land to three or more persons will no longer be allowed. C of O enables you to do business.”
“When we make the right decision, some people will be happy, and some will not. We are ready for such a fight.
“When I was governor of Rivers State, 3 C of Os were given by FCT on my land, and we later discovered that the C of Os given to us were fake after we had paid N57 million for the lands.
“I will seek the president’s permission to link any C of O to the NIN number. The rich men will kick against it, but anything that will help our people must be done.
“Support this move. You will attest to the fact that there are changes. How will you feel that, at the end of the day, you have a C of O, but it is fake? Over the past 10 years, some people have not paid, and now the 5 million looks big for them”, he said.
