A Coalition of Real Estate Developers in the Federal Capital Territory has sought the intervention of President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly over allegations of land grabbing and official high handedness attributed to the office of the Managing Director/CEO of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Mr Oyetunde Ojo.
This was contained in a statement signed by the coalition’s coordinator, Mr Benjamin Yamusa, and publicity secretary Nofisat Kareem, on behalf of the coalition.
The developers, in the statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday, said they resorted to seek the intervention of President Tinubu and the National Assembly because of “the huge financial loss we incurred and the mounting interests on the debts we got from the banks due to the deliberately-slow administrative processes of the land development approvals regime being implemented by Mr Oyetunde Ojo at the FHA.”
They alleged that Ojo’s stint at the FHA has so far brought about financial loss, stagnation of dozens of multi-billion naira projects all resulting from alleged land grabbing that translated into dozen of ongoing court cases.
They lamented further that most of the applications pending at the FHA were on their last stages of approval, “but only to be deliberately stalled due to the encroachment of their already legally acquired lands by some land grabbers working (allegedly) in cahoots with the incumbent leadership of the FHA.”
The developers alleged further, “The encroachment of our legally acquired lands by some elements with (alleged) full backing of Mr Oyetunde Ojo has stalled our progress, resulting into endless court cases, and mounting financial pressure due to the bank loans most of us secured for the development of the properties.”
They said the constant harassment using security agents and the never-ending litigations have overstretched their finances, with some of them being threatened by their lenders over debts they incurred for the real estate development
“What Mr Oyetunde Ojo is doing at the FHA currently, is not only antithetical to the laudable mandate of the organisation, but also capable of derailing and sabotaging your administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda on affordable and mass housing policies for Nigerians,” the statement said.
The developers urged the relevant committees of the National Assembly’s Senate and House of Representatives to probe the activities of Ojo at the FHA with a view to sanitise the organisation and the housing sector in general.
The developers reiterated their commitment and support to the laudable development agenda of President Tinubu.
But while puncturing their claims via a telephone conversation with Blueprint.ng, the Head, Public Affairs Unit, FHA, Mr Kenneth Chigelu, denied allegations of land grabbing, high handedness and others, noting that FHA has gone beyond being ambushed by people or coalition without a name now coming out with frivolous allegations without proves.
While decrying the allegation of grabbing further, the spokesperson said, “Can you grab something that belongs to you?.”
He told Blueprint.ng that his principal never engaged those who are not real developers, adding: “We are now digitalised, and with valid documents, people get approval in four to five days.
“We don’t know any coalition of developers. Where are they, and where were their lands grabbed? Was it Gwarimpa or Guzape?
“How would FHA grab their lands. Whose lands are we talking about? Coalition of who and who, if I may ask?
“If they are serious, rather than ambushing us using the media and writing to NASS and all that, they should acquire land and come out clean and see if they are not going to get approval and other necessary things done under four to five days.
“But these ones are not known, and they don’t even have a name. If you have your proofs, legal title, and yet did not get approval, then go to court instead of writing the presidency and NASS.
“Look, we know those who are developers in Abuja, and I must add here that FHA has gone beyond all their antics and we are delivering.”
