The Bauchi government has explained why it demolished a house located within the Commissioners Quarters, Old GRA, Bauchi, said to belong to a member of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Abdullahi.
Abdullahi, representing the Bauchi Federal Constituency, had claimed that he purchased the property from a former commissioner within the state who acquired the property via an owner-occupier scheme of the state government.
But Governor Bala Mohammed’s media adviser, Mukthar Gidado, said at a news conference on Monday that the house in question was not part of those the state government sold to their occupants on an owner-occupier basis.
Gidado said the demolished property was situated within the Commissioners Quarters and was among those exempted from the scheme.
“The said house located at No. 7, Buba Yero Road, Old GRA, Bauchi was allocated on 23/6/2014 to the State House of Assembly to serve as a Guest House,” he said.
Gidado said in spite of the exemption of homes on Buba Yero Road from the Owner-Occupier Policy, the then the Commissioner for Works, Land and Housing under the last administration allocated the house to himself employing a fictitious name.
“The house was later sold to Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi the member representing Bauchi Local Government in the House of Representatives, for nine million nairas.
He added that there was no record, either to the Treasury or to the Housing Ministry, proving that $ 9 million had been paid to the Bauchi state government.
“Not only that, the whole process of the purported sale of the house did not follow due process because the value of the house was not assessed by relevant government agencies.
“The government formally requested Mr Abdullahi to provide documentary evidence of the sale of the house to him which up to this moment, he has not obliged the government with the documents,” he said.
He added that there was no document in the treasury or the Housing Ministry to prove that nine million had been paid to the Bauchi state government.
“The revocation notice was duly acknowledged. In spite of the revocation order, Mr Abdullahi continued with the construction work on the site.
“Consequently, the State Development Board marked the building for ‘’Stop Work Order” on Sept. 27, which he flagrantly refused to comply with,” he said.
In his response, Abdullahi admitted not to have acquired the property through government allocation.
“I didn’t acquire that land through allocation. I purchased it from somebody who was genuinely allocated the land through owner-occupier. I bought the land four or five years ago,” he said.
“I didn’t even buy the land directly from the man who got the allocation. I am the third person that bought the land.
“I did all the necessary documentation and I followed due process. I paid building approval issued by the government.
“I paid ground rents up to 2024, even though the Certificate of Occupancy was not issued in my name.”
