FCT Begins Re-Certification of C of O
As el-Rufai, others apply
From Andy Ekugo in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territo-ry (FCT) yesterday made good its plan to re-certify all Certificates of Occupan-cy issued since inception of the FCT with the minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and his key aides formally applying for re-certification of their certificates.
El-Rufai who revealed that he has two plots of land in the FCT before he became the minister said he had to personally apply for the re-certification because having paid all the fees for the plots of land, he has only been issued the Right of Occupancy (R of O).
"I have two plots of land in Abuja but I don't have C of O for them. Before I was appointed minister, I paid all the fees but I had not got the C of O. It was brought to me for signature on the week we announced re-certification programme and I had not signed them," the minister said.
He also said that about 20,000 people would be accredited for the exercise in phases I and II of Abuja, while about 100, 000 people are expected to be re-certificated within satellite towns.
Mrs. Altine Jubrin, the coordinator, stated that the exercise begun on Monday for the public and that over 10 people had been through the exercise.
Explaining the process, Jubrin said, "The process of re-certification is going on right now starting with the Minister and officers of the ministry. Here they will bring certificates of occupancy, evidence of all payments, they will also bring the application for the re-certification, proof of payment of non-refundable N10,000.
"We will authenticate the document, after that we revalidate the title, check if there are outstanding bills that have to be paid and then we go for field verification to find if there are land use falsification. We are right now collecting all the old C of O and acknowledging same."
She explained that after two or three weeks of being issued new certificate number, the actual process towards re-issuance of new C of O would commence.
Other officers of the ministry who accompanied el-Rufai include, Alhaji Alhassan Sani, the Coordinating Executive Secretary FCDA, Dr. Auwalu Anwar, Executive Secretary Education and Nosa Ukponwan, the Director of Water Board.
Meanwhile, el-Rufai also yesterday ordered the imposition of a fine on a landlord on Coomasie Street Wuse, Abuja for illegally digging a borehole outside his residence. He also ordered that the structure be dismantled while the owner, who turned out eventually to be his childhood friend, be made to pay fines stipulated for the offence.
The owner, however, explained that he had to dig the borehole to help people in the locality since there has not been water in the area for several weeks.
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