The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to renovate and convert its abandoned buildings and forfeited land, both locally and abroad, for public use.
This resolution came after the adoption of a motion titled “Call to convert abandoned and seized properties including buildings and lands for public use.” The motion was introduced by Iyawe Esosa, the representative for Oredo Federal Constituency of Edo State, during the House’s plenary session on Wednesday.
Esosa highlighted that numerous government agencies are currently operating from rented office spaces, despite the Federal Government owning a significant number of abandoned properties scattered across the nation. He emphasized that asset recovery is a potent yet underutilized tool in combating both domestic and international corruption. He pointed out that the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act provides a robust legal framework for managing and recovering such assets.
The lawmaker recalled a precedent from 2017 when the Federal Government repurposed properties seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for office use by various agencies, which saved the country approximately N180 billion.
“Some agencies of government operating in states across the country are experiencing challenges in finding office accommodation due to difficulties in paying rent,” he said, adding that “Reports have revealed that over 50 assets confiscated from politically exposed persons, civil servants, and other individuals are currently unoccupied and rotting away.”
Following the adoption of the motion, the House referred the matter to the Committee on Public Assets for further legislative action.
