Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Friday, directed existing landowners with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to pay for re-certification.
Wike, who spoke on a live television programme in Abuja, said the new C of O would require a National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN).
Hevsaid since assumption of office, he decided not to sign any C-of-O because of the need to introduce enhanced security measures.
The Minister said an individual would pay N50,000 while a corporate body would pay N100,000 for the new C of O.
Wike said, “There are a lot of discrepancies, a lot of cloning of C-of-Os, so we have come up with an idea that every allottee who seeks and applies for a C-of-O must supply his NIN; this is one of the features we are going to put in the new C-of-O.
“If a corporate body doesn’t have an NIN and they have a property, they must put their BVN. So many persons have not registered, and this will make them go and re-register.”
He said existing landlords with C-of-Os would only be required to pay a nominal fee for recertification.
He said, “For everyone who has a C-of-O, they will come for a recertification, so that we can incorporate the NIN or BVN.
“Those who had a C-of-O before don’t need to pay money again; the highest they can pay is N50,000, and corporate bodies will pay N100,000. It helps in terms of security; it also helps to improve our revenue generation.”
Wike also hinted that the cost of obtaining new C of O, which was initially fixed for N5m might be reduced to N3.5 million.