Current Landowners Must Recertify Under Abuja C-of-O — FCT Minister Nyesom Wike

Nyesom Wike

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced that obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) in Abuja will

A National Identity Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) are now needed to secure a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-0) in Abuja, according to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike.

On Friday, November 24, 2023, Wike informed reporters in Abuja that in order to implement these new features, current landowners in the capital must recertify.

As the FCT minister, the minister claims he has refrained from signing C-of-Os to implement additional security measures, like adding BVN for corporate entities and NIN for individuals.

“There are a lot of discrepancies, a lot of cloning of C-of-Os, so we have come up with an idea that every allottee who seeks and applies for a C-of-0 must supply his NIN; this is one of the features we are going to put in the new C-of-O.

“If a corporate body doesn't have an NIN and they have a property, they must put their BVN. So many persons have not registered, and this will make them go and re-register

“For everyone who has a C-of-O, they will come for a recertification, so that we can incorporate the NIN or BVN.

“Those who had a C-of-O before don't need to pay money again; the highest they can pay is N50,000, and corporate bodies will pay N100,000. It helps in terms of security; it also helps to improve our revenue generation.

“There are people who own seven properties, so this will identify them so they can pay taxes,” he said.

Wike further emphasized the initiative's advantages in precisely identifying property owners for taxation purposes.

Read: FCT Minister Nyesom Wike Approves The Abuja Property Tax

In addition, he discussed the planned N5 million C-of-O fee from the ground rent, clarifying that the fee is determined by the ownership of the land, not the structure constructed on it.

The task force proposed N5 million, and the stakeholders said let it be reduced. They asked, “If it's going to be on properties four-bedroom or bed-bedroom?” 

“Again, you have to understand that the C-of-O is not based on the building but the land. 

“The only difference is the annual ground rent. The one with a two-bedroom property cannot pay the same as the person with a three-bedroom property,” he said.