The House of Representatives has resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate abandoned federal government–owned properties and buildings nationwide, reportedly valued at over ₦20 trillion.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) during Wednesday’s plenary.
Chinda cited a 2021 report by the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, which identified about 11,866 abandoned federal projects—approximately 63% of all projects initiated since independence. Major properties include the Federal Secretariat Complex, Ikoyi; Millennium Tower, Abuja; Nigerian Aluminium Smelting Company, Delta; and the National Library Headquarters, Abuja.
“The House is concerned that the Presidential Implementation Committee on Federal Properties, established in 2000, has yet to submit its final report, raising issues of accountability and transparency,” Chinda said, stressing decades of neglect have caused decay and value loss.
He recommended strategic interventions, including public–private partnerships, to restore and utilise the properties effectively. “The Federal Government can rescue some of these assets through PPPs to prevent continuous wastage, structural weakening, and further loss of value,” he added.
The ad hoc committee is expected to verify existing reports, assess the current status of the abandoned properties, and recommend recovery strategies, reporting back within six weeks for further legislative action.
