•Dangiwa says property to be sold to public, used for govt needs

•Anti-graft agency vows to monitor openness of process

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development yesterday took delivery of some 753 Housing Units in an Abuja housing estate, recently confiscated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). form former Governor of the Central Bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

The Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, handed over the documents to the housing estate to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development,  Ahmed Dangiwa, at the ministry’s headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.

At the event, Dangiwa commended the leadership of EFCC under Olukoyede for the sustained efforts in the fight against corruption and the recovery of public assets, a statement by the Director Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Salisu Badamasi Haiba, said.

“This marks a significant milestone in our collective determination to ensure that recovered assets are put to productive use in ways that directly benefit the Nigerian people. The housing estate recovered from the former Governor of the Central Bank is a case in point” he stated

A federal high court had earlier ordered the forfeiture of the massive estate seized from a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefielie, to the government.

During the ceremony, Dangiwa informed that following the formal handover of the estate by the EFCC, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development will conduct a joint familiarisation tour of the facility alongside the EFCC team to properly assess the state of the facility.

“ We intend to carry out  thorough integrity and structural assessments on all buildings and associated infrastructure to confirm their safety and suitability for habitation” the minister stated

He further explained that a comprehensive technical evaluation will be undertaken to determine the cost of completing all outstanding infrastructure and ancillary facilities, including perimeter fencing, internal roads, drainage systems, a police post, shopping areas, recreational centres, and other essential amenities.

“The ministry will offer the units for sale both to the public and for special government needs. For the public sale component, we will adopt a transparent and competitive process. This will include nationwide advertisement and the use of the ‘Renewed Hope Portal’ where interested Nigerians can submit their Expressions of Interest” he remarked.

Dangiwa also stated: “We are committed to making this a model of accountability and public benefit, and we look forward to working closely with the commission to bring this effort to a successful conclusion”.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the anti-graft commission, Olukoyede, stated that the handing over of the forfeited property was a demonstration of the impact of the fight against financial crimes and corruption in Nigeria as pronounced in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

He recalled an investigation into the property which started last year, leading to a civil forfeiture of the asset due to the belief that no one could have owned it legitimately.

He also emphasised on the need for accountability and transparency in managing forfeited assets, informing of the directive from the president to hand over the asset to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for completion.

“It is important for us to demonstrate to Nigerians that whatever proceeds of crime that we have recovered in the course of our work, the application of that will be made transparent to Nigerians so that we will not allow looted assets to be looted again”, he said.

The EFCC chairman stressed that the estate contained hundreds of apartments on a parcel of land measuring 150,462.86 square meters and located at plot 109, cadastral zone, co9, Lokogoma district, Abuja.

He further stated that the commission would monitor the project completion by the ministry for periodic reports and feedback to the president.

Olukoyede thanked Tinubu for creating a conducive environment for the fight against corruption to thrive in Nigeria, as well as the judiciary for standing by the fight, ensuring that people don’t get away with proceeds of crime in Nigeria.

Highlight of the meeting was an official handover of a document of the forfeited asset to the  Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dangiwa, by the chairman of the EFCC, Olukoyede.