Federal Housing Authority has refuted reports of land grabbing published against it by FCT Christian Elders.
It would be recalled that a recent publication by the Leadership Newspaper bore the caption: “FCT Christian Elders Want Presidency, IGP To Probe FHA Over Alleged Land Grabbing”.
Reacting to the development, the agency, in a statement, said it would not discuss the matter in the media as the issue is already in court. However, it stressed that there is a need for the agency to clear itself “of the emotional blackmail against Federal Housing Authority by the Miracle City Church (Ambassador Royal Ministries), in connivance with the FCT Christian Elders Forum”.
The statement read: “FHA has started undergoing a process of repositioning in all areas of its operations, since the assumption of office by the current Managing Director, Senator Gbenga Ashafa. This process has led to the elimination of fraudulent acquisition of lands and properties, as was the case in the past. The exercise which started from Abuja, FCT, and Lagos, South West zone, where the cases are most, has spread to the other zones.
“It is unfortunate that the authorities of the Miracle City Church decided to toe the line of blackmail and gang up in dealing with the case of illegal and fraudulent land grabbing they are enmeshed in. We are putting it unequivocally that the Church has no valid title on the 15,000sq meters of land it is claiming. It has no approved building plan, nor can it boast receipts of payment or genuine survey plans.
“Federal Housing Authority as a government agency has legitimately laid down procedures for land allocation. The church has no evidence of any of these processes.
“The honorable and honest thing expected of the Miracle City Church is to make public their valid land allocation papers, approved building plan, and evidence of payments on the land, before crying foul.
“FHA as a responsible government agency statutorily has the responsibility of embarking on Development Control measures in her estates. These include serving of Stop Work orders to control contraventions and illegal developments.”
