Daily Independent Online.
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Wednesday, July 21, 2004.
Abuja re-certification exercise kicks off August 1
By Don Bassey
Correspondent, Abuja
Exactly two weeks after it was constituted,
the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) committee on Tuesday announced
it would commence the sale of re-certification forms for issuance of new
Certificates of Occupancy on Sunday, August 1.
Application forms, which have already been
lodged with Inland Bank, Abuja, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja and all
state capitals as well as AGIS office on plot 416E Kumasi Crescent, Wuse 2,
Abuja would, however, be sold for a non-refundable fee of N10, 000.
Forms could also be downloaded by plot
owners by visiting the committee’s newly established website, www.abujagis.com.
Those who get their forms this way were expected to pay the stipulated N10, 000
on return of completed forms.
AGIS Administrator, Mrs. Altine Jibrin, and
its Deputy Administrator/Project, Dr. Ismail Iro, while briefing the press,
however, reiterated Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Nasir
el-Rufai’s position that the exercise was not for revocation of C of Os
because no title would be extinguished unless those acquired fraudulently.
Altine said the new certification would
restore public confidence, encourage more participation of individuals and
corporate organisations, allow for transparency in land transaction and eliminate
all cases of forged land documents currently in circulation.
Jibrin said the central computerisation
completed by the AGIS in June had led to the capturing of 105,701 applications
for statutory Right of Occupancy (R-of-O), which the FCT ministry had received
from individuals and organisation from 1980 to April this year.
