FCT signs 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy under Tinubu, Wike

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has produced and signed 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, more than three times the number recorded over the 13 years preceding his administration.

The figure was disclosed on Sunday by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media.

According to Olayinka, 8,697 Certificates of Occupancy were produced and signed between 2010 and 2023, comprising 5,500 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and 3,197 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the 26,272 C-of-Os processed under the administration of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike were part of efforts to improve the ease of doing business and support the economic objectives of the Tinubu administration.

Many of the beneficiaries, Olayinka said, had received their land allocations more than a decade ago but were yet to obtain their Certificates of Occupancy.

He explained that a C-of-O could serve as collateral for commercial loans, mortgages and business expansion, making timely access to the document important for property owners and businesses seeking financing.

Olayinka said the FCT Administration had streamlined the process, allowing land allottees to receive their C-of-Os within two weeks of completing the required payments.

“The moment necessary payments are made, land allottees can now get their C-of-O within two weeks,” he said.

He added that the administration had introduced automated notifications to alert beneficiaries when their documents were ready for collection.

According to him, delays under previous administrations were partly linked to inefficiencies in the process, which discouraged some landowners from completing their payments.

Beyond Certificates of Occupancy, Olayinka said the FCT Administration had also granted 2,521 Consents to Assign and 177 Consents to Mortgage during the last three years of the Tinubu administration.

He contrasted this with 753 Consents to Assign and 180 Consents to Mortgage granted during the Jonathan administration, and 684 Consents to Assign and 164 Consents to Mortgage under Buhari.

A Consent to Assign is required for the legal transfer of rights in a property, while a Consent to Mortgage is required before a property can be used as security for a loan.

The FCT Administration said the reforms were aimed at making land documentation more efficient and improving access to financing for residents and businesses in the capital.