Wike gives plot owners 3 months’ grace to start work

FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved a three-month grace period for owners of 189 undeveloped plots of land in the territory to begin to develop them or get their allocation papers revoked. Director of Information and Communication at the FCT Administration, Mr Muhammad Sule, stated on Sunday in Abuja that the affected titled holders had obtained building plan approvals, but were yet to develop the properties. He stated that the affected property owners were expected to develop the property within the stipulated period or have their title documents revoked in line with extant laws. The grace period, he explained, applied to individuals and to corporate organisations that had showed the desire to develop their property by obtaining building plan approvals. He added that public institutions that had land titles within the FCT but yet to develop same were also advised to do so within the three months grace period to avoid the sanction. “The minister has extended this gesture to 189 property owners due to their desire to develop the properties by obtaining building plan approvals, a prerequisite for the development of any property in the FCT. “Owners of the plots were exempted from revocation because they had already demonstrated firm commitment to develop their property by obtaining necessary documents from the FCT Administration. “The minister is urging the affected property owners to take advantage of the gesture and develop their plots in line with the terms of their Offer of Right-of-Occupancy,’’ Sule stated. The director added that the FCT Administration, equally appealed to public institutions that had been allocated land to begin the development of their plots, failing which their title documents would be revoked.