President Bola Tinubu has approved the dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties.
The PIC was set up in 2000 during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration to oversee the privatisation, sale and lease of Federal Government landed assets.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onananuga, who announced the dissolution on Thursday, said all matters relating to the committee’s activities will now be handled by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
Membership of the PIC included the then Minister of Housing as chairperson, alongside representatives of the Ministries of Transportation, Justice, Health and Agriculture, as well as the Nigeria Police Force.
Professor P.T. Ahire, then a Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, served as the pioneer secretary, while other members were drawn from both the public and private sectors.
On March 22, 2001, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of a Panel of Inquiry to produce a White Paper to guide the implementation of its recommendations. The panel worked for 21 months before submitting its report.
Explaining the decision to scrap the committee, the presidency said its activities had gone beyond its original mandate.
“After careful consideration, the Government has noted that the activities of the PIC had extended beyond its original mandate, resulting in multiple litigations across the country, and the continued existence of the Committee is no longer justified,” the statement said.
The AGF was asked to coordinate all matters relating to the committee with effect from November 5, 2025.
The statement further directed the committee’s former secretary, B. S. Dutsin-Ma, to stop acting on behalf of the dissolved committee and the Federal Government on related matters.
(The Whistler)