FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has ordered the immediate closure of the secretariat of the dissolved Ad-hoc Committee responsible for the sale of Federal Government houses in Abuja. The FCT Administration says the Department of Land Administration will now handle matters relating to the sale of the properties, while the public has been warned about fraudsters claiming to represent the former committee.

Wike directed that the secretariat of the dissolved Ad-hoc Committee on Sales of Federal Government Houses in the Federal Capital Territory be closed with immediate effect.

The FCT Administration announced the decision on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, in a statement issued by Lere Olayinka, the minister's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media.

Under the new arrangement, a division within the Department of Land Administration will take over responsibilities previously handled by the committee.

The administration said the secretariat had remained open after the committee completed its assignment in order to deal with issues arising from its activities. With the closure, people seeking information or services concerning the sale of Federal Government houses in Abuja are being directed to the Department of Land Administration.

The FCTA also issued a fraud warning, telling members of the public to be cautious of anyone presenting themselves as a staff member, officer or member of the dissolved committee.

The decision changes where prospective buyers, existing beneficiaries and other people with outstanding matters concerning Federal Government houses in Abuja are expected to seek assistance.

It also comes against the background of several years of scrutiny of government-property sales in the FCT.

In July 2025, the FCTA established vetting committees to examine the sale of Federal Government houses after officials reported alleged irregularities, including deviations from approval mandates, improper verification, late payments, inadequate documentation and poor coordination between departments.

The latest restructuring therefore places the issue directly within the FCT's land administration system rather than leaving it with a temporary ad-hoc structure.

What caused the closure?

The FCT Administration says the committee had completed its assignment and that its secretariat had remained in place to address issues arising from its activities. Wike has now directed that the secretariat be formally closed.

Who is affected?

People dealing with the sale or administrative processing of Federal Government houses in the FCT, including prospective buyers and existing beneficiaries, are affected by the change.

They are now expected to approach the Department of Land Administration rather than the former committee's secretariat.

The newly created division within the Department of Land Administration is expected to take over the responsibilities previously handled by the dissolved committee.

The public should also be alert to possible fraud, particularly anyone claiming to have authority through the former committee.

Is this new?

The closure is new, but government scrutiny of Federal Government house sales in Abuja is not.

In November 2023, Wike directed a task force to investigate the sale of Federal Government houses and establish which properties had been sold, where the relevant documents were and whether payments had been properly made.

How does this compare with previous actions?

The 2023 exercise focused on investigating the status of government houses. In 2025, the FCTA moved to establish committees to vet previous sales after reporting irregularities.

The 2026 decision represents a different stage: responsibility is now being transferred from the dissolved ad-hoc structure to a division within the Department of Land Administration.

The history of Federal Government house sales in Abuja helps explain why the administration is placing emphasis on documentation and verification.

The Federal Government's monetisation policy has involved the disposal of non-essential residential properties, with government records showing that thousands of houses in different parts of the FCT were surveyed as part of the process.

The issue has also previously generated financial and accountability concerns. In 2018, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission said its investigation into the work of the Ad-hoc Committee had uncovered N9.8 billion realised from property sales between 2010 and 2014 that had not been remitted to the Federal Treasury by Aso Savings and Loans Plc. The ICPC also reported recovering more than N20.6 million from some property allottees who had made only partial payments.

More recently, the FCTA's own land administration procedures have continued to reference clearance from the Ad-hoc Committee for transactions involving Federal Government houses.

That makes the current transition important for property owners and applicants: administrative procedures and points of contact may need to follow the new structure.

The change should not, however, be interpreted as an announcement that the Federal Government has stopped selling its houses. The FCT statement concerns the administrative structure handling the sales, not a cancellation of the wider government property-sale programme.

The immediate issue for Abuja residents and other people dealing with Federal Government houses is knowing where legitimate transactions and enquiries should now be handled.

The Department of Land Administration will become the key point of contact under the new arrangement, while the FCTA's fraud warning puts extra emphasis on verifying anyone claiming to represent the former committee.

The next thing to watch is how the new division implements the transfer of responsibilities and whether the FCTA publishes updated procedures for people with pending or future transactions.