Posted by FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja on
Apparently miffed at the level of scams that have dogged land allocation in Abuja under the last administration, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday suspended further allocations in the Federal Capital Territory Minister of FCT, Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar, who made the disclosure, said the measure was aimed at taking the inventory of lands available for allocation.
Apparently miffed at the level of scams that have dogged land allocation in Abuja under the last administration, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday suspended further allocations in the Federal Capital Territory
Minister of FCT, Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar, who made the disclosure, said the measure was aimed at taking the inventory of lands available for allocation.
Daily Sun gathered that the decision followed series of petitions to the Presidency by aggrieved applicants bordering on alleged under hand dealings to deprive genuine allottees in favour of friends of the last administration.
Special Assistant to the Minister on Communication, Mr Diran Onifade, who disclosed this in a statement, said the suspension of allocation of plots of land in the Federal Capital Territory will be in force till January 2008.
According to him, 'Mr President's directive is premised on the need for the Federal Capital Territory administration under the leadership of Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar to take inventory of availability of land in the territory."
He explained further in the statement that the suspension of plots allocation was in order for the new government to start on a clean slate.
'During the period, the FCTA will also review the usage of already allocated plots. The suspension, which takes immediate effect, applies to all categories of land within the FCT," he added.
During his visit to the FCT Chief Justice on assumption of office, the minister was told the FCTA had over 500 cases to contend with all involving land allocation disputes.
Dr Umar then told the Chief Judge that his administration would not want to go into legal tuzzle with anyone but would like to explore out of court settlements while promising that the administration would hence forth follow the rule of law and abide by all court decisions as against the situation before his arrival.
The Mallam Nasir el-Rufai administration had been accused of not obeying court orders hence the litany of court cases against the FCTA.