The FCT Administration has received over 10,000 Area Councils’ titles that have applied for regularization through the Accelerated Area Councils and Sectional Titles Re-Issuance Scheme (AACSTRIS).
The Director of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), Dr. Isa Jalo made this disclosure in an exclusive interview on Monday in his office at No. 4, Peace Drive, Central Business District, Abuja.
The Director revealed that these property owners in the FCT six Area Councils have come forward with customary titles as well as letter of offer from the Councils when the former firm handling the project, E-Angel Project Consortium Limited was still managing the exercise.
Dr. Jalo further disclosed that so far, 2,000 Area Council titles have been vetted under AACSTRIS and found to be genuine; and will soon be issued with the statutory Certificates of Occupancy.
Since the expiration of the E-Angel Project Consortium Limited contract in 2016, the project has now been taken over and coordinated by the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) to drive the Scheme using existing institutions of Land related Departments.
According to him, all applications received and vetted under the project will now be processed by relevant statutory Departments with Desk Office already established at AGIS to provide information to applicants.
“All those with genuine title documents will be regularized and be issued with statutory Certificates of Occupancy,” Sule Haruna, Head of Information and Customer Service quoted the Director as saying.
The Director remarked that the FCT Administration under Muhammad Bello has brought sanity to the system by fortifying security around AGIS premises and pushing away the activities of touts who pose or pretend to be staff.
He similarly revealed that the FCT Administration is working round the clock to upgrade the services of AGIS not to only manage land but also the infrastructural aspect of the Federal Capital Territory being handled by the FCDA Engineering Services Department.
Dr. Jalo emphasized that the upgrade will also cover the sewer lines, water mains, environmental facilities and transportation system; noting that the FCT Development Control is already connected to the network.
The Director however called on the plot owners to endeavour to always pay their ground rents to enable the government provide more effective municipal services; adding that once property owners refuse to settle ground rent, the law permits total revocation.