NEWS
Presidency Reaffirms Dissolution of Federal Properties Committee, Orders Former Secretary to Stop Acting on Its Behalf
The Presidency has firmly reaffirmed that the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties remains dissolved, warning that its former Secretary, Bello Suleiman Dutsin-Ma, no longer has the authority to act on behalf of the committee or the Federal Government on matters connected to its former responsibilities.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, to dispel any uncertainty regarding the status of the committee.
According to the Presidency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the dissolution of the committee with effect from November 5, 2025, bringing an end to its operations after more than two decades. The statement further explained that all issues relating to the committee’s activities were formally transferred to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, who now serves as the sole coordinating authority on such matters.
The Presidential Implementation Committee was originally established in 2000 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to oversee the privatisation, sale and lease of Federal Government landed assets under the Federal Government’s monetisation policy.
Its membership included the then Minister of Housing as Chairperson, representatives from the Federal Ministries of Transportation, Justice, Health and Agriculture, the Nigeria Police Force, as well as members drawn from both the public and private sectors. Professor P.T. Ahire served as the pioneer Secretary of the committee.
The Presidency also recalled that on March 22, 2001, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of a Panel of Inquiry tasked with producing a White Paper to guide the implementation of its recommendations. The panel spent 21 months carrying out its assignment before submitting its report.
Explaining why the committee was disbanded, the Presidency stated that its operations had gradually expanded beyond the responsibilities for which it was originally established. This development, it noted, led to numerous legal disputes across the country and made the continued existence of the committee unnecessary.
The statement emphasized that the Government concluded the committee had exceeded its original mandate, resulting in multiple litigations nationwide, and that there was no longer any justification for its continued operation.
Consequently, the Presidency reiterated that all matters relating to the former committee are now under the exclusive supervision of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
It further directed Bello Suleiman Dutsin-Ma to immediately cease presenting himself or acting on behalf of the dissolved committee or the Federal Government on any issue connected with the committee’s former mandate, stressing that the Presidential Implementation Committee has remained dissolved since November 5, 2025.