President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, bringing its responsibilities under the supervision of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, all matters relating to the committee’s activities will henceforth be coordinated by the Attorney General.
The Presidency said the decision followed a review of the committee’s operations, which found that the PIC had outlived its original mandate.
It noted that the committee’s activities had extended beyond its assigned responsibilities, resulting in multiple litigations across the country and making its continued existence unnecessary.
“Accordingly, the President directed the dissolution of the PIC and that the Attorney General of the Federation coordinate its activities with effect from November 5, 2025.
“Following the President’s directive, the PIC stands dissolved, and the erstwhile Secretary, B. S. Dutsin-Ma, is hereby directed to cease acting on behalf of the committee and the Federal Government on related matters,” the statement read.
The Presidential Implementation Committee was established in 2000 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to oversee the privatisation, sale and lease of Federal Government landed assets under the Federal Government’s monetisation policy.
Its membership was headed by the Minister of Housing and included representatives of the Ministries of Transportation, Justice, Health and Agriculture, as well as the Nigeria Police Force.
P. T. Ahire, then a Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, served as the committee’s pioneer secretary, while other members were drawn from both the public and private sectors.
The Presidency also recalled that on March 22, 2001, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of a panel of inquiry to produce a White Paper to guide the implementation of recommendations on the alienation of Federal Government properties. The panel completed its assignment after 21 months and submitted its report to the government.
