By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration , FCTA, has inaugurated a committee to reshape areas that would improve land administration and revenue generation.
Mr Olusade Adesola, FCT Permanent Secretary, said the committee is expected to work in partnership with financial institutions to invent ways of increasing the revenue profile of the FCT Administration and also fasttrack processes involved in the acquisition of Certificate of Occupancy and other title documents for various individuals in the territory.
The Permanent Secretary in a statement yesterday, explained that the initiative was to think of areas that will increase revenue generation.
“In view of the dwindling revenue and the increasing demands for social amenities and other Infrastructure developments by the citizens, it has become imperative for the FCT Administration to think of creative ways of shoring up government revenue to be able to address these challenges”
The statement urged residents to begin to pay for services such as sanitation and pipe borne water to support government effort in providing services.
Adesola expressed optimism that the Committee would work assiduously to come up with far reaching recommendations with a view to addressing delay in the acquisition of Certificate of Occupancy, other title documents as well as unlock huge revenue stuck in land transactions.
He assured residents of the Territory that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello would continue to address all challenges associated with the acquisition of Certificate of Occupancy and other title documents in nation’s capital city.
The Permanent Secretary who gave the Committee one week to submit its report for the Administration to take immediate action, reeled out the committee terms of reference to include: review the current challenges related to payment of land fees in the FCT; identify sources of financing the payment of land fees by the title holders, develop framework for partnership with financial institutions by title holder and also come up with recommendations on any other matters related to the above.
In his response, the Chairman of the Committee Barrister Harisu Umar commended the Permanent Secretary for the lproactive initiative of thinking outside the box at a time the country is seriously confronted with acute financial challenges.
Umar who assured the Permanent Secretary that the committee would work hard to achieve its terms of reference.
Other members of the Committee are: Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary; Mr. Adewinle Pius, Deputy Director; Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Town Planner Adamu Adamu; Financial Adviser, Mr. Ayodele Olayinka; Assistant Director; Department of Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS), Mr. Yusuf Jafar, Assistant Director; Mr. Kumatin Ikya, Department of Land Administration, Hassan Zakari, Assistant Director and Mr Abubakar Faskari, Technical Assistant to the Permanent Secretary.
