By Nathaniel irobi
As of December 31, 2024, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has signed a total of 5,481 Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O), according to a statement from Lere Olayinka, the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media.
This figure reflects a decrease of 2,919 C-of-O compared to the total issued by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over a span of 13 years, from 2010 to 2023.
In a recent announcement, Olayinka emphasized that land allottees can now obtain their C-of-O within two weeks after fulfilling the necessary payment requirements. He noted, “Previously, many land allottees hesitated to pay for their C-of-O due to long waiting periods post-payment. However, in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, this process has been significantly expedited.”
He added that the procedure for uploading essential information regarding the collection of C-of-O, along with collector details—which once took months—can now be completed within 72 hours.
Olayinka provided a breakdown of C-of-O issuance over the past 15 years: from May 2010 to May 2015, a total of 5,655 C-of-O were signed; from May 2015 to May 2019, 1,174 were issued; and 1,571 from May 2019 to May 2023. Notably, since President Tinubu took office in May 2023, the FCT Minister has signed 5,481 C-of-O.
Additionally, in the coming weeks, land allottees with ready C-of-O will receive auto-generated SMS notifications, addressing the issue that many are unaware that their title documents are prepared for collection.
