Somebody close to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, should tell him that he needs to calm down.
Yes, he has a very important assignment at hand and he can only achieve results with a kind of calmness that allows him a clear head to think through his policies and programmes.
The call for the minister to be calm is informed by a recent pronouncement of a flat rate of N5 million for collection of Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) by land owners in the territory.
The minister had during a recent meeting with estate developers in Abuja, informed them that the FCT Administration had pegged the cost of issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C- of-O) at N5 million.
Wike said payment could be made within 4 months of land allocation after which the C-of-O would be handed over to the applicant.
The payment, which the minister also announced could be made in instalments over a 4-month period, is a flat rate, irrespective of the size or location of the land and whether it is serviced with infrastructure or not.
He added that he would seek the approval of President Bola Tinubu to link applicants’ National Identification and Bank Verification Number to C-of-O before issuance.
Expectedly, the announcement was met with public outcry following which Wike announced the reduction of the fee from N5 million to N3.5 million.
In addition to this, land owners who already have their C-of-O would be required to recertify them, as the document would now be linked to NIN and BVN.
A Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) is a government-issued land title document given as legal proof of land ownership in Nigeria.
By virtue of the Land Use Act 1978, land administration in Nigeria was standardised and all urban land within a state is vested in the state governor, while rural land is administrated by the local government where it is found. The Land Use Act gives state governors the power to grant “statutory rights of occupancy” as they deem appropriate. Also, this Act introduced the concept of land use (residential, commercial, mixed-use etc.).
With this Act also came the abolishment of all existing freehold systems, in favour of a leasehold system and these leases are usually granted for a maximum period of 99 years – after which one must apply for renewal.
To get building approval for new construction projects, a Certificate of Occupancy is one of the title documents required.
While there is no uniform cost of acquiring a C-of-O as cost varies from state to state, it is generally based on the factors including but not limited to land size, land location, fair market value of land and the level of infrastructure provided by government.
In Abuja, the cost of C-of-O is not arbitrary or a flat rate as Wike wants to make it. It is dependent on the earlier mentioned factors and is calculated per square meter of land. The fee is also dependent on which phase of the city the plot of land is located.
It is for this reason that the cost of C-of-O for two lands of the same size, sited in Asokoro in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Yenche in Kuje Area Council are not the same or a 1,000 square metre plot in Yaba, Abaji Area Council and a 500 square metre land in Maitama, AMAC, is not the same.
I know of an association that paid a whopping N33 million for the C-of-O for a land in Guzape district. The same land size in Tungamaje may not attract similar cost.
There is also a reason why C-of-O for residential land is priced differently from those for commercial use.
Admitted, getting a C-of-O is in the best interest of any land owner as it has many benefits including identifying one as the owner of a plot of land and preventing situations where multiple people lay claim to the same property, preventing the government from repossessing or revoking rights to land without compensation, can add to the value of land, particularly in Abuja, where the process for obtaining a C-of-O can be long and expensive and can be used and accepted as collateral for loans.
A policy that simplifies the process to make it easier for people to get C-of-O would be welcome by not a few landowners in the nation’s capital.
However, in a city like Abuja with a huge housing challenge amidst many unoccupied houses, one would think that the minister will channel his energy towards ensuring that housing becomes more accessible and affordable.
I’ve thought about the pros of this policy but I do not see how making someone who owns a plot of land in Karshi but has been unable to develop it due to lack of resources, pay N5 or N3.5 million will mitigate the housing challenge in the nation’s capital city.
The interest of government should be to make land and the process of getting titles for it, easy and affordable, so that more people can be able to own their own houses.
Cost of accommodation is already prohibitive in Abuja and anything to make it higher will be a huge disservice to the people.
What Abuja needs at this time is a reformation of the land acquisition process that does not leave the poor in more direct straits, while the rich who have the means continue to grab all land in the territory.
One other question people have been asking is whether the policy if it stands, will take retroactive effect as people already have land allocation papers with C-of-O bills that are either more or less than the new amount.
How this issue will be resolved will depends on the genius of ‘High Tension’ as the minister was famously addressed while he held sway as Rivers governor.
While the minister may see this new C-of-O policy as game changing, it is not and he needs to be told.
One more thing or maybe two, the minister needs to tackle is the rising insecurity in the FCT.
As the chief security officer, he needs to liaise with security agencies on what can be done to make Abuja safe for all residents.
Just last week, the life of a promising young man, Joshua Gwebe, was cut short by a mob right in the heart of Abuja in avoidable circumstances.
A policy that will return Abuja to the safe city it was, where I could leave the office at 2am and drive home without fear of being attacked is the desire of many of us Abuja residents.
