By Peace Erewunmi

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, bringing to an end the operations of the committee established more than two decades ago to oversee the disposal of federal government properties.

According to the Presidency, the committee had outlived its original mandate, with its activities resulting in numerous legal disputes over the sale and allocation of government properties. Consequently, all responsibilities previously handled by the committee have been transferred to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for appropriate administrative and legal action.

As part of the directive, the committee’s Secretary, B. S. Dutsin-Ma, has been instructed to immediately cease acting on behalf of both the dissolved committee and the Federal Government in matters relating to the alienation of federal properties. The Presidency said no former official of the committee is authorised to represent the government on such issues going forward.

The Presidential Implementation Committee was created during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to implement the Federal Government’s monetisation policy by supervising the sale and lease of government residential properties and other landed assets. Over the years, however, disputes arising from property sales and allocations led to prolonged litigation in different parts of the country.

The Federal Government said the dissolution is part of ongoing efforts to improve governance, streamline public administration and ensure more effective management of issues relating to federal government properties under the supervision of the Attorney-General’s office.