Developers Accuse FHA Boss of Land Grabbing, Urge Presidential Probe

A serious accusation has been leveled against the leadership of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) in Nigeria, with a coalition of real estate developers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) calling for a probe into the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oyetunde Ojo. As reported by ThisDay, the developers have directly petitioned President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, citing alleged land grabbing, extortion, and administrative high-handedness as reasons for their plight.

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We resorted to seeking the intervention of the president and the National Assembly because of the huge financial loss we incurred and the mounting interests on the debts we got from the banks due to the deliberately slow administrative processes of the land development approvals regime being implemented by Oyetunde Ojo at the FHA.

This coalition claims to have suffered immense financial losses due to what they describe as deliberately slow administrative processes for land development approvals under Ojo's tenure. They assert that projects worth billions of naira have stagnated, and numerous court cases have ensued because their legally acquired lands are allegedly being encroached upon by individuals acting with the backing of the FHA leadership. This situation, they argue, places immense financial pressure on them, particularly due to loans secured for these developments.

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Mr Oyetunde Ojo’s stint at the FHA has so far brought about financial loss, stagnation of dozens of multi-billion-naira projects, all resulting from alleged land grabbing and extortion that translated into dozens of ongoing court cases.

The developers' petition paints a grim picture, suggesting that Ojo's actions are not only detrimental to their businesses but also directly undermine President Tinubu's "Renewed Hope Agenda" for affordable and mass housing. They accuse Ojo of circumventing due process and even invoking the president's name to achieve his alleged objectives. The constant harassment by security agents and unending litigation have stretched their finances to the breaking point, with some facing threats from lenders.

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Mr. President, we are appealing to you to arrest the alleged brigandage at the FHA under Ojo, who drops the president’s name in circumventing due process and extant rules governing land development at the FHA.

This situation highlights a critical challenge within the FCT's real estate sector. While the government aims to expand housing opportunities, allegations of corruption and mismanagement at key agencies can severely hamper progress. The developers are appealing to the President's business-oriented leadership to intervene decisively, sanitize the housing sector, and ensure that the FHA operates in a manner that supports, rather than obstructs, national development goals. The call for an investigation by the Senate and House of Representatives committees underscores the gravity of the situation and the need for accountability.

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What Ojo is doing at the FHA currently is not only antithetical to the mandate of the organisation, but also capable of derailing and sabotaging your administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda on affordable and mass housing policies for Nigerians.