Barrister Nysom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has revoked land allocations for Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Mr. Douye Diri of Bayelsa and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, along with 565 others.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr. Lere Olayinka, the former Governor of Rivers State said the revocation follows the expiration of a two-week grace period granted to the 3, 273 land allottees to pay their Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) bills.
He said despite the extended grace period, 568 of the allottees, including the high-profile individuals, failed to meet the payment deadline, prompting the minister to proceed with the land withdrawal on January 15, 2025.
Also affected are the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Ibrahim Hadejia; former governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, Senate Leader; Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Minority Leader; Abba Moro, Minister of State for Labour and Employment; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment; John Eno, Chairperson/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM); Abike Dabiri-Erewa; late Sports Minister Bala Kaoje; and Regina Akume, wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
Moreover, the fresh revocation comes three weeks after the initial withdrawal of 762 plots of land from their allottees.