The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate thousands of abandoned Federal Government–owned buildings and landed properties nationwide, estimated to be worth over N20 trillion.
This resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), during plenary on Wednesday.
Citing Order 8, Rule 5 of the House Standing Orders and Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Chinda said the probe aims to prevent further wastage of public resources and recover valuable national assets lying fallow across the country.
He referenced a 2021 report by the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, which revealed that about 11,866 federal projects had been abandoned nationwide—representing roughly 63 per cent of all projects initiated since independence.
Among the prominent idle assets highlighted by Chinda are the Federal Secretariat Complex in Ikoyi, Lagos; the Nigerian International Hotel Building, Suleja, Niger State; the Millennium Tower, Abuja; the Federal Inland Revenue Service building in Abia State; the National Library Headquarters, Abuja; the Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company, Kaduna; the Kaduna Textile Building; and the Nigerian Aluminium Smelting Company in Delta State.
The lawmaker decried the inaction of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Federal Government Properties, established in 2000, which he said has yet to submit its final report. He noted that this prolonged delay has raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability in managing public assets.
“The House is concerned that the Presidential Implementation Committee on Federal Properties, established in 2000, has yet to submit its final report, raising issues of accountability and transparency,” he said.
Chinda further expressed worry that years of neglect had led to the deterioration of several structures, while inflation and outdated designs had reduced their market value. He called for strategic interventions, including public–private partnerships, to restore and put the properties to productive use.
“The Federal Government can rescue some of these assets through PPPs to prevent continuous wastage, structural weakening, and further loss of value,” he added.
Following deliberations, the House unanimously adopted the motion through a voice vote presided over by the Speaker.
The yet-to-be-constituted ad hoc committee has been tasked to review existing reports, verify the current status of all abandoned federal properties, and propose recovery strategies, including viable private sector participation.
The committee is expected to submit its report within six weeks for further legislative consideration.
