The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate abandoned Federal Government-owned landed properties and buildings nationwide, estimated to be valued at more than ₦20 trillion.
The decision followed the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) during plenary.
Moving the motion under Order 8, Rule 5 of the House Standing Orders and Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Chinda emphasized that the probe aims to halt further wastage of public resources and facilitate the recovery of critical national assets.
He cited a 2021 report by the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, which revealed approximately 11,866 abandoned federal projects across the country—accounting for about 63 per cent of all projects initiated since Nigeria’s independence.
Key properties highlighted include the Federal Secretariat Complex in Ikoyi, Lagos; the Nigerian International Hotel Building in Suleja, Niger State; the Millennium Tower in Abuja; the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Building in Abia State; the National Library Headquarters in Abuja; the Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company in Kaduna; the Kaduna Textile Building; and the Nigerian Aluminium Smelting Company in Delta State.
Chinda decried the inaction of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Federal Government Properties, established in 2000, which has failed to submit its final report despite over two decades of operation.
“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 noted that prolonged neglect has led to structural decay, value depreciation, and further erosion of worth due to inflation and outdated designs.
He called for strategic public-private partnerships (PPPs) to revitalize the assets, saying: “The Federal Government can rescue some of these assets through PPPs to prevent continuous wastage, structural weakening, and further loss of value.”
Presided over by the Speaker, the House adopted the motion via voice vote and mandated the yet-to-be-constituted ad hoc committee to review existing reports, assess the current condition of the properties, and propose recovery strategies, including private sector involvement.
The committee is directed to report back within six weeks for further legislative action.
