The Senate is seeking ways of invoking sanctions on former President Goodluck Jonathan and some ministers that served under his administration for appropriating reserved plots of land in Abuja to themselves, in violation of the Federal Capital Territory’s master plan.
The Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is leading the call for the sanctions, disclosed that plots of land acquired by Jonathan and his ministers were designated as green areas, flood drains, city buffers, recreation, sewage lines, urban farming and city monuments.
At a briefing on Wednesday, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Dino Melaye, said the illegally acquired areas fall within the highbrow Maitama District.
Describing the action of Jonathan and his ministers as “satanic”, Melaye blamed the immediate past former Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, for indiscretion.
Besides Jonathan, the committee listed 29 other “powerful” Nigerians, including former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and former Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, as beneficiaries of the land grab.
Some of the beneficiaries have started erecting structures on the plots, which were hurriedly allocated in the twilight of the last administration and Certificates of Occupancy hurriedly issued for the plots.
Melaye said, “Senator Bala Mohammed, in his bid to satisfy some powerful Nigerians before the end of his tenure, disregarded the wisdom of his predecessors and the vision of the founding fathers of Abuja.
“He went ahead to implement Messrs Fola Consult Limited’s recommendation by allocating these important features at the Maitama Hills to these powerful Nigerians.
“It is pathetic to state that one of the allottees has erroneously burst a sewage conduit pipe and the entire area messed up with offensive odour which could trigger off serious epidemic within that location”.
