FCTA Clarifies Land Dispute With Former First Lady

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has made clarifications over the parcel of land in dispute between former first lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua and the FCT Administration, saying that the land belongs to African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM).

The permanent secretary of FCT Administration, Mr. John Chukwu, who made the clarification at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, said that AFLPM obtained the land in 2010, pointing out that AFLPM was allotted the land, which Turai chaired before leaving office.

He said the former first lady used her office to divert the allocation to Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation (WAYEF), her Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

Chukwu said “The record shows that the land was wrongly re-designed and re-allocated to WAYEF in her twilight days as the first lady in 2010. The FCTA found that action of re-allocating a public land to a private NGO inappropriate and, therefore, took proper action to revoke the land to the original allottee”.

He said that FCTA would move to revoke the purported re-allocation as a legitimate action to rectify the anomaly of land meant for public institution to a private organisation.

“We wish to state that the former first lady, Hajiya Turai, challenged the action of the FCTA in court after turning down several offers to secure an alternative plot in phase one of Federal Capital City for her NGO”, Chukwu said.

He said “In view of the foregoing, the FCTA wishes to state categorically that the judgement by FCT High Court is squarely on a case between FCT Administration and Turai Yar’Adua, and not the AFLPM president, Mrs. Jonathan.