By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike,Lere Olayinka, has knocked counselled the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe over her embarrassing ignorance of the Land Use Act.
Olayinka also advised Senator Ireti Kingibe to purge herself of the hatred she is harboring against the FCT Minister and stop seeing issues from the angle of “I hate Wike”.
The Media Aide described the Senator’s comment on the enforcement of payment of Ground Rent as ridiculously illogical.
The FCT Minister’s Spokesperson emphasized that land allocation is not unconditional, there are conditions that must be met and one of them is annual payment of Ground Rent.
Olayinka said Ireti Kingibe recent diatribe against the FCT Minister was a further advertisement for her ignorance of the Land Use Act and penchant for seeking cheap political gains on every issue.
He said, “It is ridiculously embarrassing that a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whose duty is to make laws, is ignorant of the provisions of Section 28, Subsections (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act.”
“For the education of Senator Kingibe, Section 28, Subsections (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act provides that “The Government may revoke a Statutory Right of Occupancy on the ground of; (a) a breach of the provisions which a certificate of occupancy is by Section 10 deemed to contain; and (b) a breach of any term contained in the Certificate of Occupancy.”
“Now, is annual payment of Ground Rent not part of the terms contained in the Certificate of Occupancy? Or Senator Kingibe just chose to advertise her myopic attitude to anything Wike?”
The FCT Minister’s Spokesperson counselled Senator Ireti to have rather said that “land owners in the FCT have rights to refuse to pay necessary bills stated in the Certificate of Occupancy issued to them, and that when they so do, the government should simply pick samba and tambourine, and sing their praises.”
“Now, if land allottees refused to pay Ground Rent for 10 to 43 years, Senator Ireti Kingibe will just look away if she was the FCT Minister?, Olayinka queried.
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