Reps probe Abuja agency over nonissuance of land titles

FOLLOWING its alleged failure to process land applications for Nigerians in the six area councils, the House of Representatives has ordered probe of the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS).

The agency incurred the wrath of the Reps over their inability to process the backlog of applications for the Issuance of Certificates of Occupancy through the Accelerated Area Councils and Sectional Title Reissuance Scheme (AACSTRIS) in the federal capital territory (FCT) Area Councils.

Adopting a motion initiated by Mr Olajide Olatubosun at the plenary presided by Speaker Yakubu Dogara, the lawmakers mandated the House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters to investigate the activities of both outfits as it relates to land and property in the Area Councils with a view to ascertaining the amount generated and remitted (if any) by the scheme from inception to date.

The committee was also mandated to look into the operational costs of the scheme from inception to date, the number of applications received, the number of applications verified or processed and any challenges facing the Scheme, and make appropriate recommendations to the House within eight weeks for further legislative action.

Olatubosum expressed concern that AACSTRIS which was established by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to fast track the processing of applications for the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) for land located at the Area Councils and had failed to live up to expectations.

He claimed that he was aware that under the scheme, members of the public with valid or genuine ownership of land or property in the Area Councils were required to apply for revalidation and processing of their C of Os on payment of the non-refundable fee of

100,000 only per application.

He further claimed that thousands of Nigerians paid the prescribed fees, which run into billions of naira without getting any commensurate service from AACSTRIS which appears to have derailed from its mandate and is now just serving as a platform for generating revenue for successive FCT Administrations.

He contended that the failure of AACSTRIS and AGIS to fast track the processing of C of Os of genuine land and property owners who are qualified, has encouraged the fraudulent practices that are often associated with the processing of Area Councils C of Os in the FCT, Abuja and environs.