Amid the ravaging effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian economy, the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA said it received no fewer than 8, 744 fresh land applications this year. Director of Land Administration in the territory, Adamu Jibrin Hussaini, disclosed this yesterday at a media parley. According to him, the applications comprise of 5, 513 for private residential, 1, 828 for commercial purposes and 1, 400 for ‘others’ in the Federal Capital City, Abuja. Hussaini revealed that the Administration also received three applications for ‘diplomatic and government agency’. According to him, during the same period, the FCT Administration successfully conveyed 603 Certificates of Occupancy to title holders in the territory. He remarked that out of this number, 299 Certificates of Occupancy were for Sales of Federal Government Houses; while 304 were for other properties in the Federal Capital City.
The Director appealed to title holders in the territory to come and collect their Certificates of Occupancy, which have been duly processed and lying fallow in the vaults. “The FCT Administration intends to change the narrative by assiduously working very hard in subsequent years to double the conveyance of Certificates of Occupancy to title holders to ensure that the status grantors of land in the FCT and individual beneficiaries of Mass Housing shall have bankable, marketable titles towards encouraging investments in the FCT; thereby lubricating the post COVID-19 Abuja economy.” On his part, Director, Abuja Geographic Information Systems AGIS, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Jalo, said the FCT Administration has concluded arrangements to launch a Ground Rent portal that will enable customers download their Ground Rent bills and make online payments as well as obtain statements of account.
According to him, the new platform is expected to integrate with REMITA in line with the implementation of the Treasury Single Account TSA policy and Ease of Doing Business initiative of the Federal Government. He added that the Administration has upgraded the AGIS Geospatial Data Centre to a World Class standard, referred to as ‘Tier 3’ to provide shared infrastructure required for the development of the Abuja Smart City. Jalo explained that this upgrade is a critical requirement for the implementation of the Digital Economy drive of the Federal Government, adding that with this infrastructure, all FCT Secretariats, Departments and Agencies SDAs computerisation requirement can be hosted.
Dr. Jalo further disclosed that the Administration has similarly upgraded the GIS software, which AGIS has been using since 2007 to the latest 2020 Geomedia Enterprise version to provide efficiency in the GIS data processing. He added that the FCT Administration will soon commission the new Accelerated Area Councils’ Sectional Title Re-Issuance Scheme (AACSTRIS) project to fast track regularisation of Area Councils’ titles, as well as provide Certificate of Occupancy of Mass Housing title holders which was hitherto a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) project that was transferred to AGIS from E-Angel Consortium. Dr. Jalo announced that the FCT Administration has acquired a new and fully equipped office, provided computers, power backup and also trained personnel to handle the operation of the AACSTRIS Project at the Abuja Property Development Company (APDC) Complex adjacent to AGIS Building. This, he noted, will ensure a conducive working environment as AACSTRIS Project is expected to commence by January 1, 2021.
