President Bola Tinubu has dissolved the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, bringing an end to the committee that was established about 25 years ago during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The decision was announced on Thursday as part of efforts to reorganise the management of matters relating to federal government properties.
The President also approved the transfer of all the committee’s responsibilities to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. Going forward, the ministry will oversee every outstanding issue connected to the disposal and management of federal government properties previously handled by the committee.
The directive was made public in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the Presidency, the dissolution takes effect from November 5, 2025.
It also directed the committee’s former Secretary, B. S. Dutsin-Ma, to stop carrying out any assignment or representing either the committee or the Federal Government on matters related to its activities.
The Presidency explained that the decision followed a review of the committee’s operations. The review found that the committee had gradually taken on responsibilities beyond its original mandate, leading to several legal disputes across different parts of the country. The government concluded that the committee was no longer needed in its existing form.
The Presidential Implementation Committee was created in 2000 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo to supervise the sale, lease and privatisation of federal government landed assets under the monetisation policy.
The policy was introduced to reduce the cost of governance by selling government-owned houses, vehicles and other public assets instead of providing such benefits to public officials.
At the time of its creation, the committee was chaired by the Minister of Housing and included representatives from the Ministries of Justice, Transportation, Health and Agriculture, as well as the Nigeria Police Force. Professor P. T. Ahire, then a Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, served as its first secretary.
In 2001, the Federal Executive Council approved the setting up of a panel to prepare a White Paper that would guide the implementation of the committee’s recommendations. The panel completed its assignment after nearly two years.
Over the years, the implementation of the monetisation policy generated many disputes involving property valuation, claims of sales below market value, allegations that some assets were allocated to politically connected individuals and several court cases challenging different aspects of the process.
With the committee now dissolved, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation will take over all pending matters connected to the alienation of federal government properties and continue handling the legal and administrative responsibilities arising from the policy.