Thursday, November 13, 2025 - The House of Representatives has resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate abandoned Federal Government–owned landed properties and buildings across the country, reportedly valued at over N20tn.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national
importance sponsored by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers),
during plenary on Wednesday.
Chinda, citing Order 8, Rule 5 of the House Standing Orders
and Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), said the
investigation was aimed at preventing further wastage of public resources and
ensuring the recovery of valuable national assets.
He referenced a 2021 report by the Nigerian Institute of
Quantity Surveyors, which identified about 11,866 abandoned federal projects
nationwide—representing approximately 63 per cent of projects initiated since
independence.
Among the major properties listed by the lawmaker are the
Federal Secretariat Complex in Ikoyi, Lagos; the Nigerian International Hotel
Building, Suleja, Niger State; the Millennium Tower, Abuja; the Federal Inland
Revenue Service building in Abia State; the National Library Headquarters,
Abuja; the Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company, Kaduna; the Kaduna Textile
Building; and the Nigerian Aluminium Smelting Company, Delta State.
Chinda lamented that despite the establishment of the
Presidential Implementation Committee on Federal Government Properties in 2000,
the committee has yet to submit its final report.
He expressed concern that the prolonged delay has raised
serious questions about transparency and accountability in the management of
public assets.
“The House is concerned that the Presidential Implementation
Committee on Federal Properties, established in 2000, has yet to submit its
final report, raising issues of accountability and transparency,” he stated.
The lawmaker further observed that decades of neglect have
exposed many of the structures to decay and value depreciation, noting that
inflation and outdated engineering designs have further eroded their worth.
He advocated for strategic interventions through
public–private partnerships to restore and utilise the properties effectively.
“The Federal Government can rescue some of these assets through PPPs to prevent
continuous wastage, structural weakening, and further loss of value,” Chinda
said.
Following deliberations, the House unanimously adopted the
motion through a voice vote presided over by the Speaker.
The yet-to-be-constituted ad hoc committee is mandated to
review existing reports, verify the current status of the abandoned properties,
and recommend recovery strategies, including viable private sector
participation.
The House directed the committee to report back within six
weeks for further legislative action.
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