President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, bringing an end to a body established more than two decades ago to oversee the disposal of federal assets.
The President also directed that all issues relating to the committee’s operations should henceforth be handled by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
The directive was announced in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The Presidential Implementation Committee was inaugurated in 2000 by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to supervise the privatisation, sale and leasing of Federal Government landed properties under the government’s monetisation programme.
The committee drew its membership from several ministries, departments and agencies. It was chaired by the then Ministry of Housing and included representatives from the Ministries of Justice, Transportation, Health and Agriculture, alongside officials of the Nigeria Police Force and selected stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
Prof. P.T. Ahire, who served as a Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation at the time, was appointed the pioneer secretary of the committee.
As part of efforts to review the committee’s operations, the Federal Executive Council on March 22, 2001, approved the establishment of a panel of inquiry to investigate issues arising from its activities and prepare a white paper. The panel reportedly spent 21 months before submitting its findings for government consideration.
According to the Presidency, a review of the committee’s activities showed that it had gradually moved beyond the responsibilities for which it was originally established, leading to numerous legal disputes across different parts of the country.
The statement noted that the government considered the continued existence of the committee unnecessary in light of the widespread litigation linked to its operations.
“After careful consideration, the Government has noted that the activities of the PIC had extended beyond its original mandate, resulting in multiple litigations across the country,” the Presidency stated.
Consequently, President Tinubu directed that, with effect from November 5, 2026, the Attorney-General of the Federation will assume responsibility for coordinating all matters connected with the dissolved committee.
The President also instructed the committee’s former secretary, B.S. Dutsin-Ma, to immediately stop representing either the dissolved committee or the Federal Government on any issue relating to its activities.
