Thursday witnessed a significant move by the House of Representatives, initiating an inquiry into allegations of irregular allocation of title documents preceding Nyesom Wike’s tenure as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Jonathan Gbefwi, representing Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency in Nasarawa State, brought forth a motion of urgent public importance, expressing concerns about the suspicious issuance of land title documents before Wike’s assumption of office in August 2023.
Gbefwi, affiliated with the Social Democratic Party, posed crucial questions regarding the legitimacy of Right of Occupancy documents issued by the Director of Lands or other officials from the Federal Capital Territory Development Administration under the vacant Minister of FCT’s name. He also voiced concerns about lands caught in legal disputes allegedly being allocated, raising fears that beneficiaries might already be exploiting the land, potentially leading to conflicts.
In response, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, presiding over the session in the absence of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, directed the Committee on FCT to investigate all land allocations made in the Minister of FCT’s name between January and August 2023. Additionally, the House resolved that lands involved in litigation or subject to multiple allocations should be identified, and their allocation suspended until disputes are resolved. The committee was given a four-week deadline to report its findings back to the House.
