House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Operations of Real Estate Developers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has threatened to sanction real estate developers for alleged violation of laid down rules and procedures guiding real estate business in the FCT.
The threat was made after the members of the Committee had conducted oversight visits to some real estate sites in the FCT and observed gross abuses of the laid down rules and regulations by the developers.
The lawmakers frowned over various infractions by the developers, including their failure to complete projects as scheduled and on agreed terms with real estate owners and building housing estates without relevant authorization from the government, among other abuses,
Some of the projects under construction are being handled by well reputed developers such as BILAAD, Brains and Hammers, KYC and EFAB.
In his remarks on the committee’s findings, the Chairman, Hon. Blessing Onuh, who spoke after the oversight visit to the estates, said the committee would analyze the various infractions by the developers and appropriately deal with them.
Onuh said: “You are all aware that this is an investigative committee and we are here on a fact finding mission to discover what is on ground, what the reality is. We commenced this committee November last year.
“And all this while we have been calling developers to our office and also we create a platform between the developers and subscribers to have an interface to discuss. So, it is more a theoretical thing. So we are here to see it for ourselves. We are here to practicalize it and know if the developers are in compliance.
“What we have discovered is so mind-boggling. There are a lot of contraventions, a lot of infractions by the developers in some of the places we visited. They do not have building plan approvals. No documents like where we are here in EFAB. No titled documents. All EFAB could present to this committee is just a lease agreement of 2003.
“There is so much going on here and it is quite unfortunate and we promise that this committee is going to do something about it. We would look at the infractions, analyze them and then we would send those that have infractions and contravention to the necessary authority for intervention”, she added.
According to her, the committee members were accompanied by relevant departments of FCT to carry out the oversight visits and submit necessary recommendations to the House and the minister for action.
Onu further alleged that EFAB, one of the major real estate developers in the FCT, “violated processes and regulations governing the FCT. It has no building approval yet is one of the biggest developers within the FCT. The committee will not hesitate to recommend severe sanctions and prosecution of everyone involved in these sharp practices.”
