Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has announced a new two-week ultimatum for the owners of 762 plots of land in Maitama to settle their payments for their certificates of occupancy (C-of-O), stressing that failure to do so may lead to the final revocation of their land titles.
Gatekeepers News reports that recently, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) issued a public notice listing the names of individuals and companies whose land titles have already been revoked. This action affects the owners of 769 plots of land who have not made the necessary payments for their C-of-O.
This revocation notice follows a previous announcement made two weeks ago, where defaulters were given an initial two-week period starting on November 26 to fulfill their payment obligations.
In a statement released on Friday, Lere Olayinka, a spokesperson for Wike, noted that since the announcement of the public notice, many affected landowners have begun to make their payments.
Olayinka indicated that after the deadline on January 3, 2025, any remaining defaulters will have their land titles permanently revoked.
“It should be recalled that on October 5, 2024, a list of 3,273 allottees/title holders that were yet to pay for their C-of-O were published,” the statement reads.
“They were offered two weeks to pay their bills or lose their Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) titles. Out of the 3,273, a total of 2,511 complied, leaving 762.
“Yesterday, notice of withdrawal of the R-of-O titles of the 762 defaulters was published.
“Since then, many of the affected allottees have offered to pay, and since the primary aim of the government is to ensure payment, a two-week grace has been given.
“Consequently, the 762 allottees and the 614 others with outstanding payment on C-of-O will have till January 3, 2025, to pay, or have their R-of-O titles withdrawn, pursuant to the provisions of Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978.
“After January 3, 2025, there will be no further extension and withdrawal of the R-of-O titles of defaulters will be final.”
