C of O payment: Speaker Abbas not owing FCTA – Aide

By Christiana Ekpa

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, says he is not owing any outstanding payment for land allocated to him in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It would be recalled that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Nyesom Wike on Thursday revoked the ownership of 762 plots of land in the Maitama 1 District of Abuja.
The Speaker was among high-profile individuals whose names were in the report, which revealed the decision of the FCT Minister to revoke land titles in Abuja.
Responding to the development in a statement on Friday, the Special Adviser yesterday and Publicity to the Speaker, Musa Krishi, explained that his principal has only one land allocated to him in the FCT and has since settled all payments.
According to him, it was an error for the FCTA to include Abbas’ name among those having outstanding payments, leading to the revocation of the land titles.
He, therefore, advised the FCTA to be more circumspect in handling such issues.
“The attention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D, GCON, has been drawn to reports in both the print and electronic media to the effect that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) revoked land titles in the FCT, belonging to certain individuals, including the Speaker, due to non-settlement of outstanding payments.
“For the record, His Excellency, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D, GCON, has only one land allocated to him in the FCT, and has since settled his outstanding payment in October 2024, following the FCTA’s newspapers’ publications to that effect.
“It is, therefore, an error for the FCTA to include his name among those having outstanding payments, leading to the revocation of the land titles. The FCTA is advised to be more circumspect in handling such issues.
“The Speaker cautions the media to always verify their facts before going to press with such issues.
“The media are, therefore, urged to desist from further publishing or spreading such misleading information about the person of the Speaker,” the statement read.