Revocation Of C-of-Os, Recovery Of Ground Rents, Wike On Course To Transform FCT

After his inauguration on 21st August 2023, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike vowed to transform the capital city even if it meant stepping on toes.

In a fiery inaugural address, Wike rolled out his plans to restore FCT to its glory days stating that he will demolish structures that deviated from the Abuja master plan and those constructed on green spaces, irrespective of ownership.

He also promised to put an end to cattle grazing in the city centre and ensure street lights are functional as part of efforts to combat rising insecurity in Abuja.

As Wike clocks 100 days in office, THE WHISTLER takes a look at the performance of the FCT Minister and the level of implementation of his inaugural promises.

Restoration of Abuja Masterplan

Wike, in his inaugural address, promised to restore the FCT master plan by reclaiming green areas and demolishing illegal structures.

“All those people who are distorting the Master Plan of Abuja, too bad. If you know you have built where you are not supposed to build, it will go down.

“Be you a Minister of anywhere, be you an ambassador, if you know you have developed where you were not supposed to develop, your house must go down.

“Those who have taken over the green areas to build, sorry, our parks must come back, the green areas must come back. If you hate green, you must hate yourself,” he had said.

In furtherance of his promise, the Federal Capital Territory Administration under the leadership of Wike had demolished several buildings.

A few days into his tenure, Wike marked slums in Garki, Jabi, Deidei, and other areas for demolition although it is yet to be carried out.

The Minister also demolished the popular Area 1 Kilishi market which was originally earmarked as a car park for the Area 1 Shopping Complex.

The Nigerian Labour Congress described the FCT Minister’s demolition plans as a war against the poor, while FCT Senator, Ireti Kingibe said Wike lacks the executive powers to carry out the demolitions.

“For one thing, I’m not telling you that there would not be demolitions,” Kingibe told journalists during a media parley in September.

Revocation of C-of-O of Undeveloped Plots

Wike had promised to revoke the certificate of occupancy issued to persons who are yet to develop their allocated plots.

The minister recently carried out the threat with the revocation of plots belonging to several prominent Nigerians.

The list includes the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi; a former governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke; a former Minister of National Planning, Udo Udoma; a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ufot Ekaette; a former Edo North senator, Victor Oyofo; and the late publisher of the Leadership newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah.

Others are a former Supreme Court justice and Chairman of the 2005 National Conference, Niki Tobi; a former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi; Chidinma, wife of a former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka; and Paul Nwabiukwu, media aide to the Director General of WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Recently, the minister announced some reforms in the issuance of C-of-Os, mandating the provision of the National Identification Number (NIN) for individuals and the Bank Verification Number (BVN) for corporate bodies.

He also reduced the fee for issuance of C-of-Os for plots of land in Abuja from N5 million to N3.5 million.

Ground Rent Payment

“Those who don’t pay ground rent, we will not notify them to do so, but I will not be tired of signing revocation notices,” Wike had said after his inauguration as FCT Minister

Subsequently, Wike issued a deadline to land allottees owing ground rents to clear their payments.

In September, the FCT Administration published land titles of individuals, corporate organisations and government agencies, with a reminder of their obligation to pay the ground rent on January 1 every year, as stated in their given Certificates of Occupancy.

Wike gave them two weeks to clear their outstanding bills, the deadline was then extended till December 14, 2023.

Street Lights/Waste Management

Wike’s promise to light up Abuja does not seem to have gained much traction, several street lights in the city centre and satellite towns are still broken.

The minister’s vow to tackle improper waste disposal in the capital city seems to have barely taken off the ground.

Dirts can still be found everywhere in the FCT and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board seems to be inefficient in performing its duties.

Cattle Grazing

In his inaugural address, Wike talked tough on cattle grazing in the city centres vowing to put an end to the practice of roaming about with cattle in Abuja’s city centre by herdsmen.

According to him the sight of cows grazing in the federal capital embarrasses Nigeria.

“We will consult and talk to the herdsmen because we cannot allow cows inside the city. They can be outside the city, that is the way it’s supposed to be done because the grasses are outside the city, the grasses here are planted to beautify the city, it is not that one that the cows would eat.

“Let us say it! You are driving towards the villa and you see about 20, 30 cows or goats, if foreigners come and see that, how will they feel, what kind of city is this? So the truth must be told, it’s not about anybody. We are not saying it shouldn’t be in Gwagwalada, Abaji, Kuje,” he had said.

However, more than three months after Wike made the statement, herders and their cattles freely roam in the capital city without fear of repercussions.

Although the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) gave its nod to the Wike to deal with herders that are allowing their cows to graze in the city centre, there is much to be desired in terms of enforcement.

Revenue Generation/ Exclusion From TSA

One of the major actions of Wike is the exclusion of the FCTA from the Treasury Single Account effectively paving way for his administration to utilize the territory’s Internally Generated Revenue IGR for the development of the nation’s capital.

Wike who argued that the FCTA is not a revenue collecting agency for the federal government, got President Tinubu’s approval to exit the CBN-domiciled TSA.

The move which was lauded far and wide will empower Wike to embark on projects and disburse monies without the bottlenecks of the CBN.

After securing the TSA exclusion, Wike then re-introduced the Capital Gain Tax which imposes a tax rate of 10% on the total amount of chargeable gains accruable to any person upon disposal of his/her chargeable asset or assets in a year of assessment.

He also directed the enforcement of the Personal Income Tax Act mandating commercial banks and government agencies in Abuja to demand Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) from individuals and organisations to allow them access to certain services.

Creation of FCT Civil Service Commission/Women Affairs Directorate

The Minister also implemented the recently signed bill for the establishment of a Civil Service Commission for the FCT by establishing the FCT Civil Service Commission.

The establishment of the commission ensured career progression for civil servants in the FCT Administration.

He said that the civil servants in the FCTA had lost hope because Directors in the Administration could not get to the apex of their careers because there was no CSC.

He added that the law for the creation of the commission had been signed but nobody wanted to implement it for different reasons.

Similarly, Wike also created the FCTA’s first women’s affairs secretariat.

The secretariat which is headed by Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi was given the mandate of ensuring the involvement of women in the programmes of the administration.

Rehabilitation of roads, and resumption of work on Millennium Tower

Wike also approved the rehabilitation and resurfacing of 135 roads in Wuse, Garki, Gwarimpa, and Maitama Districts of the FCT.

He said the current administration will give Abuja a facelift while appealing for the cooperation and support of residents.

Similarly, the minister secured funding from SUKUK to complete the Abuja Millennium Tower and Cultural Centre.

The Millennium Tower, located in the central area of Abuja, is a multifunctional edifice with facilities for cultural exposition, tourism, socialisation, recreation, hospitality, and commercial activities.

Wike expressed optimism that when completed, the Millennium Tower would change the landscape of Abuja and boost its tourism potential.

Motorcycle impounding and crushing the same day doesn’t make sense

The brazen destruction of impounded vehicles that was witnessed during the administration of Mohammed Bello has continued unabated under the administration of Wike.

Seized motorcycles are crushed without room for claims and objections, making the FCTA the judge, jury, and executioner.

The manner in which the impounded vehicles are destroyed have raised concerns among residents of the capital city.

Although the FCTA claims the exercise was to serve as a deterrent to those violating the ban on motorcycles in the city centres, enforcers of the ban often enter streets that are in the outskirts of the city.