AWC ECONOMY DESK
FG Ends 25-Year PIC Mandate Over Alienation of Federal Assets, Cites Prolonged Litigation and Need for Better Coordination
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, bringing an end to the committee’s over two-decade responsibility of overseeing the sale, lease, and monetisation of federal government landed assets.
According to a statement from the Presidency, all matters relating to activities previously handled by the committee will henceforth be coordinated by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
The Presidential Implementation Committee was established in 2000 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as part of efforts to manage the privatisation, sale, and lease of federal government properties under the government’s monetisation policy.
The committee was originally created to provide oversight and ensure proper implementation of government decisions regarding surplus and underutilised federal assets.
Its membership included the then Minister of Housing as Chairman, representatives from key ministries including Transportation, Justice, Health, Agriculture, the Nigeria Police Force, and other government officials. Professor P.T. Ahire, then a Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, served as the pioneer Secretary.
The Presidency explained that the committee’s activities had extended beyond its original mandate, resulting in multiple litigations across the country and raising questions about the continued relevance of the body.
The Federal Government stated that after careful review, it had concluded that the continued existence of the committee was no longer justified.
The decision followed the history of the committee’s establishment after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), on March 22, 2001, approved the creation of a Panel of Inquiry to produce a White Paper guiding the implementation of recommendations on federal government properties.
The panel worked for about 21 months before submitting its report, which eventually informed the government’s approach to the management and disposal of federal assets.
A Statehouse press release made available to African Writers Centre affirms that “with the dissolution order, the Presidency directed the Attorney-General of the Federation to coordinate all related activities effective from November 5, 2025.”
The former Secretary of the committee, B.S. Dutsin-Ma, has also been directed to cease acting on behalf of the committee and the Federal Government on matters connected with its activities.
The move is expected to streamline government oversight of federal properties, reduce administrative overlaps, and provide a centralised legal and policy framework for future decisions concerning government assets.
#TinubuAdministration
#FederalAssets
#GovernmentReforms
#PublicPropertyManagement
#NigeriaGovernance
