Embattled investors, property owners and residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have expressed dismay over the FCT Administration’s move to charge recertification fees for Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) holders. This comes after Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, directed owners with C of O documents to pay private individuals N50,000, while corporate entities N100,000 in recertification fees.”

In reaction, several prominent lawyers and landowners questioned the legal basis of the policy. “Under what law does he have the power to impose recertification fees on FCT residents and landlords?” asked a senior lawyer. Some residents argued that requiring C of O renewal is tantamount to forcing university graduates to recertify their degrees. A class action lawsuit against the illegal fees is being considered.

There are also allegations of judicial bias regarding any case between FCT officials and landowners. On October 6th, Minister Wike hosted the Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf, who reportedly assured the Minister of personally assigning FCT cases to prevent injunctions against the government—a statement seen as undermining fair administration of justice.

“This is enough ground for the CJ to vacate office. It goes to the root of administration of justice in FCT,” said a miffed senior lawyer. The perceived special treatment for FCT authorities in land disputes has rattled both legal experts and ordinary landowners.

In a related development, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike revoked the Certificate of Occupancy of Nigeria’s former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, citing a contravention of allocation terms. This move has ignited legal proceedings, as Kanu Agabi is known for challenging lawless actions.

Find below the full text of the letter from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Department of Land Administration addressed to Nigeria’s former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Kanu G. Agabi, revoking his rights to Plot No. 2858 in Asokoro, Abuja.

FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY ADMINISTRATION (FCTA) DEPARTMENT OF LAND ADMINISTRATION No. 4 Peace Drive, Central Area Abuja, Nigeria. OLD FILE NO CR 1019 NEW FILE NOCR 18184 KANU G. AGABI PLOT 2935, OFF MAMUD RIBADU STREET, ASOKORO, ABUJA, FCT, NIGERIA 20th September, 2023

NOTICE OF REVOCATION OF RIGHT OF OCCUPANCY WITH FILE NO. CR 10184 OVER PLOT NO. 2858 WITHIN ASOKORO (A04) DISTRICT, ABUJA

I have been directed to refer to the above Right of Occupancy and to inform you that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has, in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, revoked your rights, interests, and privileges over Plot No. 2858 within ASOKORO (A04) District for contravention of the guiding terms of allocation. This is also in line with Section 28 Subsection 5a & b.

While we regret any inconvenience this may cause you, please accept the Honourable Minister’s highest regards.

ESV, UMAR SAYYADI ENIVS DEEDS REGISTRAR FOR: HONOURABLE MINISTER (FCT)

Below is the full transcript of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike receiving in audience the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf, on October 6th, 2023.

The Honorable minister of the federal capital territory all protocols D observed I’d like to thank you for sparing time to receive us with your team uh like I have said in my speech we do not doubt your excellency’s capacity to deliver on anything that you said to do um has become so obvious and it’s

Beyond um any form of doubt that um you have um exceeded the marks and the level that people had thought you would um you would perform you have um raised one or two things particularly about issu of indiscriminating Junctions now this does not or well for all of us as a Judiciary we are part of the government and and we expect that um

We should be able to do things that will make government work um uh we are aware that you have started taking actions to ensure that sanity is brought into land Administration in the federal capital territory so at my end I have issued directions to um the judges in charge of my judicial divisions that all cases involving

Federal capital territory would only be assigned by the chief judge so even where for any reason such cases are filed in those divisions they are returned to the chief judge so that um I can assign them and this will enable me to keep track of um where such cases have gone to so uh I’d like to assure you that the area of that type of

Mistakes has gone thank you um in land cases usually you give injunctions where Financial damages will not be adequate to remedy the damages that may have occasioned in a matter but in land cases even if it is true that um the fcta is wrong such can be Remedy by Financial so there can be no ground for

Indiscriminate injunctions I’d like to assure you to thank you. Wike responded by saying ‘For this remarkable speech and the assurances that you have given to us because at the bottom of our problems the welfare of judges and materials with which to work we like to assure you once again that we will do our best within the Ambit of the law to ensure that you

Succeed thank you your Excellency members of the delegation of the chief chief judge the permanent Secretary of the F City the general Council and other senior staff of the FC Gentlemen of the press ladies and gentlemen my Lord Chief jge let me on behalf of the city welcome you to our office today I do know that this like you said

This C would have taken place before now but of course the exercies of the various offices your own and house but what is important is that it have been held today once more let me commend you of the stability in the FC Judiciary and also commend you on how you have related your office related with the office the Handover note I had

Show the cord relationship between the fct and the fct Judiciary I want to say that we do our best to increase the tempo of that relationship let me also say that you have said that when I was the governor of River State the relationship between the executive and Judiciary was cordial C Inc that we maintain the

Respect and Independence but for the interest of good governance so many people make mistake and talk about fight against corruption without putting in place those things that will reduce the level of corruption in the country when Mr President before he was sworden but have been elected at that time he was President

Elect he came to River State to commission the Ed face of the Magistrate Courts and one of the things here said that when you want to talk about fighting corruption you must ask have you provided the enabling environment the conducive environment for these people who are in power to fight the corruption take take for example the

Judiciary what are the services are they operating what is the environment in most cases most of them don’t even have homes when they retire in most cases where they are given official location nothing to write them about I yet to say you want to talk about fighting corruption but for him fighting corruption will start from the

Environment in which they in in that case you ask look we have provided things that will make them to overlook certain areas but if you have not provided it then you don’t talk about fighting H corruption so Mr President has said for him he was going to do anything that make Judiciary to realize that they have to do and do the work in

Order to make this country to move H forward and so for him the renewed uh hope agenda for him is that look so many people have lost confidence no he said no nobody should luse confidence those things that are not in place will brought uh back my Lord I Want to Say by the Mr President that what replicated in

River State will also be done in F City we’re going to provide an accommodation for them that when they retiring they have something to go home nobody will come and temp them with anything because part of what we do how do you retire as a as a Judicial officer I have no home to go to it doesn’t make

Sense so Mr presid told me that I must I must as a matter of urgency Li with the chief judge to see how we can work out this where judges will have home or retirement judges of the fct Judiciary so just be assured that done again whatever you think that will you know improve the welfare of JAL officers in the in the city do not uh

Hesitate to let us uh know we are here to do everything to make sure we provide good uh governance uh I as a politician as I’m living I have a home good home to stay in that matter so we are proud to say so but nobody want to come and say these people who are sitting from morning till night where are they going

To some of them become age when they are not supposed to have you see some of 50 years now become 7 something why because of the kind of work they do my wife is a judge so I I I I I know that I know that so what it tells me that if I’m not in this position I am you know and then I look at my wife for what would she have

Been doing sometime that No Light No Good generator is it’s not what supposed to be it’s not what supposed to so we will not that we will not support that we will do everything to make everything conducive so that you not do our work and and you will not have the excuses again we appeal also to you that so many

Things are happening in the FC so many things I tell you this so many people who because they talk about rule of law some people believe that with the c of Shar practices going on in fct with the collusion of even some of the staff of FC they come to court and say grant us injunction and without even we getting

The services before we know it as a judgment we are not blaming you after all you you all is based on facts presented to you but we are trying to to change all that now I turn to change that all now because the land in the state in the the city is is getting out of hand and then you see injunction now

Injunction the next two minutes injunction 5 minutes injunction 30 minutes is unprecedented it’s unprecedented some of them go outside they can go to even KU please my Lord chief judge we want to bring bring this to your attention so that you can look into it that is not the best that not the best here is fct

We believe that so everything should come to the chief judge before assignment is been done or so but just to bring it to your to to your attention uh because I do know that so many times people criticize judges without even asking a question you just sit there oh this J did this this J did that you don’t even

Know what are the facts before the the judge i p you people I but again no no judge talks so nobody talks on your behalf to the to the public you know so once more thank you most sincerely and I believe that legal once we are notified the general Council and the suppose the the the the department as responsible with you and

We give you the all the necessary support on time for you to have a better legal year once more thank you so much for coming I’m sorry that you are waiting outside because the time was was to be 300 p.m. so I was shocked that he came even 20 minutes to the to return that’s a good good record but thank you very much and God bless you.

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