President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, bringing to an end the operations of a body established more than two decades ago to oversee the disposal of Federal Government landed assets.
The decision was announced in a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, “all matters relating to the activities of the Committee will be coordinated by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (HAGF).”
The Presidency explained that the committee was created in 2000 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to supervise the privatisation, sale and lease of Federal Government landed assets as part of the government’s monetisation policy.
It said the committee was chaired by the then Minister of Housing and included representatives of the Ministries of Transportation, Justice, Health and Agriculture, as well as the Nigeria Police Force.
The statement added that Prof. 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.
The Presidency also recalled that the Federal Executive Council, on March 22, 2001, approved the establishment of a Panel of Inquiry to prepare a White Paper that would guide the implementation of its recommendations.
“The Panel worked for 21 months before submitting its report,” the statement said.
Explaining the reasons for the committee’s dissolution, the Presidency said its operations had strayed from the purpose for which it was created.
“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.
It added that President Tinubu had therefore directed “the dissolution of the PIC and that the Attorney General of the Federation coordinate its activities with effect from November 5, 2025.”
The statement further directed the committee’s secretary to stop acting on its behalf.
“Following the President’s directive, the PIC stands dissolved, and the erstwhile Secretary, B. S. Dutsin-Ma, is hereby further directed to cease acting on behalf of the committee and the Federal Government on related matters,” it said.
