The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, on Tuesday, inaugurated an ad-hoc committee to investigate the federal government’s abandoned landed properties and buildings across the country, declaring that the era of national assets wasting away is over.
Speaking at the inauguration held at the National Assembly, Abbas said the committee’s mandate reflects the 10th House’s commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability in public asset management.
“We are committed to ensuring that no public property is left to decay or fall into neglect,” Abbas said. “These facilities represent public wealth that must serve the country.”
The Speaker, who was represented by the Chief Whip, Hon Usman Bello Kumon, said the investigation would cover the location, status, history, and current occupancy of all abandoned federal properties, alongside the policy failures that led to their abandonment.
Abbas tasked the committee, chaired by Hon. Daniel Amos, to be meticulous and fearless in identifying assets that have been left idle, mismanaged, encroached upon, or illegally acquired.
He stressed that federal landed assets, from buildings to empty plots, must either be rehabilitated, converted to public use, or responsibly disposed of.
“The public expects honest findings and recommendations that will help the government stop waste and improve asset management,” he said. “This responsibility calls for focus, patience, and a strong sense of national duty.”
The Speaker also announced plans for a long-term framework in partnership with the Executive to track, protect, and optimise federal properties nationwide.
“The 10th House will work with the Executive to establish a coordinated and transparent system for identifying, assessing, and restoring abandoned Federal Government properties,” he said.
Abbas urged the committee to engage ministries, agencies, host communities, and stakeholders, promising that the House would act on their recommendations.
“The eyes of the country are on you,” he warned. “Let your work reflect the expectations of Nigerians and inspire confidence in the legislative process.”
Chairman of the newly inaugurated House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee, Hon. Daniel Amos, vowed to reclaim and redeploy national assets that have been left to rot across the country.
He said the assignment is both a national obligation and a moral duty, as thousands of abandoned federal properties represent “lost opportunities” for development, housing, revenue, and public benefit.
Amos said the House has given the panel a clear timeline and a broad mandate to investigate, recover, and recommend long-term reforms in public property management.
“This mandate is not merely administrative; it is a solemn responsibility to the Nigerian people, whose resources and heritage these assets represent,” he said.
Amos stressed that the probe would cover the full identification and verification of all abandoned federal landed properties nationwide, with a key objective to develop a central, reliable database, something the country has never had.
He listed the committee’s mandate to include: Establishing a national inventory of abandoned assets; Examining the financial, economic, and developmental costs of their abandonment; Determining the MDAs responsible for each property; Investigating administrative, regulatory, and budgetary failures; Recommending recovery, rehabilitation, or productive reuse; and Proposing long-term reforms to prevent future waste
The committee, he said, would produce an evidence-driven report within the stipulated timeframe and ensure every recommendation is tied to national development and public accountability.
“Every abandoned property represents deferred development, lost revenue, and a diminishing of public trust,” Amos stated. “The work before us is not just technical, it is moral.”
He pledged transparency, professionalism, and a “fidelity to public trust,” urging ministries, agencies, and stakeholders to cooperate fully.
Amos said the ultimate goal is to transform idle public properties into sources of growth rather than symbols of waste.
“Together, let us turn these dormant assets into engines of growth, sources of revenue, and symbols of renewed national stewardship,” he said.
