The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a directive for existing landowners holding Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in Abuja to undergo a recertification process.
Wike, speaking on a live television program in Abuja, emphasized the inclusion of National Identification Numbers (NIN) and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) in the new C of Os to enhance security measures.
Wike expressed concerns about discrepancies and cloning of C-of-Os, leading to the decision to incorporate NIN and BVN as features in the new certificates.
The minister stated that individuals seeking the new C of Os would be charged N50,000, while corporate bodies would incur a fee of N100,000.
This move, according to Wike, aims to improve security, prevent fraud, and boost revenue generation.
He stated, “There are a lot of discrepancies, a lot of cloning of C-of-Os, so we have come up with an idea that every allottee who seeks and applies for a C-of-O must supply his NIN; this is one of the features we are going to put in the new C-of-O.
“If a corporate body doesn’t have an NIN and they have a property, they must put their BVN. So many persons have not registered, and this will make them go and re-register.”
On the existing landlords with C-of-Os, Wike revealed that they would only be required to pay a nominal fee for recertification.
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“For everyone who has a C-of-O, they will come for a recertification, so that we can incorporate the NIN or BVN,” he disclosed.
“Those who had a C-of-O before don’t need to pay money again; the highest they can pay is N50,000, and corporate bodies will pay N100,000. It helps in terms of security; it also helps to improve our revenue generation.”
He also hinted that the cost of obtaining a new C of O, which he initially penciled at N5 million, might be reduced to N3.5 million.