Wike Directs Abuja Land Owners With C Of O To Pay Recertification Fee

*Says Abuja Landlords Must Recertify C Of O, Submit BVN, NIN

MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has said land owners in Abuja must recertify their Certificates of Occupancy (C of O).

The process will require them to include the national identification number (NIN) for individuals and the bank verification number (BVN) for corporate bodies.

He disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, November 24.

Wike said the NIN and BVN would also be required of any person or organisation planning to obtain a C of O in the nation’s capital.

“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,” the minister said.

He noted that private individuals might pay as much as N50,000 for recertification of the document to incorporate the required details, while corporate bodies might be charged about N100,000.

Wike noted that he had avoided signing C of Os since he assumed office as minister to give room for the latest development, which he described as security measures and means of improving revenue generation.

“It helps in terms of security; it also helps to improve our revenue generation. There are people who own seven properties, so this will identify them so they can pay taxes,” Wike said.

Speaking on the proposed N5 million fee for obtaining a C of O, Wike said the amount was not determined by the structure on the land but the property itself.

On Tuesday, November 21, Wike insisted that C of Os would cost a flat rate of N5 million, regardless of the size of the property, location, or structure to be erected on the land.

According to a statement by the director of press, office of the FCT minister Anthony Ogunleye, on Tuesday, Wike turned down suggestions by stakeholders to review the price and consider size, location of properties, and other factors, while determining the fee.

Although the minister hinted at the possibility of a review, he maintained that N5 million would be the flat rate for the document.