By: Tijani Salako.
The internal committee established by the Federal Ministry of Housing to review the 753-housing unit project that was linked to the former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele says its report is nearing completion., the committee’s work is focused on assessing the property’s condition, number of units completed and requirement for completion.
The official stated that the report will be handed over to the Minister of Housing, who will then forward it to the President. “The internal committee is doing its work. They are going to release it to the public pretty soon. There’s no affirmative date, but they are almost concluded with the work,” the official said.
“The case Emefiele has is with EFCC, because the committee is an internal thing for the ministry. Once their report is ready, they will hand it over to the Minister, who will then pass it on to the President. It’s at that level that they will decide whether to go ahead with it or if Emefiele is going to stop the process. But as far as the ministry is concerned, it doesn’t concern the ministry.
“The work that the committee is doing does not concern Emefiele. Remember the committee was set up to ascertain certain things about the property. To see the level of work done, the number of units specifically, what is required to complete, and so on. So, that’s a Ministry matter.”
The official established by reaffirming the Ministry’s limited role: “It’s as long as we have now submitted that report to the president. It is now they will know how to go about it with Emefiele. It doesn’t really concern the Ministry.”
In a separative but exclusive interview with the managing director of Fame Oyster & Co Mr. Olufemi Oyedele, said the government has no plans to distribute the 753 seized properties among civil servants across the nation. This move has been met with relief from some quarters, as there were concerns about the potential misuse of these properties.
Instead, he suggested that the government focus should be on completing the properties and allocating them to senior civil servants and military officers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as staff quarters, this will be seen as a way to provide affordable accommodation to these officers, who often struggle to find suitable housing in the city.
Oyedele stated “Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not be part of the scheme to share the seized 753 properties among civil servants across the nation. it is not even possible. What the government should do and which they have started doing is to complete the property and allocate it to senior civil servants and military officers in FCT as staff quarters and not as buyers.”
It would be recalled that the 753-unit housing estate in Abuja is linked to the arrest and corruption charges against former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele. The EFCC seized the estate as part of its investigation into the alleged diversion of public funds during Emefiele’s tenure. However, the Federal Government recently revealed plans to sell the estate to low- and middle-income Nigerians.
In response, the Federal Ministry of Housing set up an internal committee to conduct an independent assessment of the estate which the committee was tasked with evaluating the number of units completed, the quality of construction, and what was needed to finish the project.
In response, Emefiele’s legal team wrote to the Minister of Housing, requesting that the government suspend all plans to sell the estate pending the outcome of the appeal. “We are aware that the properties may soon be sold to the public. We have already served the EFCC with a notice of appeal and an injunction,” the letter partly read.