By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
An Estate Surveyor and Valuer ESV Frances Kamen said the issues of multiple allocation of papers by Abuja Municipal Area Council(AMAC) has diverse effects on sale of real estate properties in Abuja metropolis.
She made this known yesterday to Peoples Daily, in Abuja .
ESV. Kamen said “Sale transactions in real estate properties go on in the city captial on daily basis. “It is a well known professional and advisable practice to carry out a legal title search on any such property subject to sales transaction to ascertain its authenticity and genuineness in all ramifications before embarking on the consummation of such sales transaction by the buyer”.
She however, emphasized that, it has been observed to be a common occurrence of multiple names appearing in the area councils system on same property when legal title search is conducted.
“Making it quite difficult to ascertain who the real or original owner of the property is, whereby discouraging potential buyers and smooth transactions exercises in real properties in the city.
“The real property racketeers connive with the officials of the Area council in the computers/IT and Catography Departments to clone the original papers of the victims and manipulate the system to either remove the details of the original allotees or duplicate title documents and sneak same into the system for kick backs”, she said.
She noted that,”It is quite unfortunate that the system is so messed up that correcting it has become so difficult resulting to enormous litigations over real property ownership title in the area council most especially AMAC”.
She reiterated that, this has impacted negatively to real estate sales in FCT, slowing down the rate and volume of sales and its resultant economic setback in the city.
“The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has waded in to check this menace but such has not abated to a reasonable level. FCDA has in some instances set up committee to sort out these falsified allocations in some satellite Districts and re integrate them into FCDA allocations for the purpose of a better area geographic mapping and recording.
“There have been some instances where an old allocation layout was doubled and a new one over lapping the old one and both of them still exist in the system with different plot names but same bearings and beacon numbers”.
The Estate Surveyor pointed out that, “These occurrences have seriously discouraged healthy transfer of property from one hand to another instead make transferring title to interested parties who are ready to buy and develop existing allocated lands to contribute to economic growth and increase in housing units within the city a very huge task.
“If this menace can be properly and judiciously checked, the volume of sale transactions in FCT will increase greatly and also a resultant enhanced economic growth in the city.
“The time spent in title search and litigations will also be saved and more income will be generated to the coffers of FCT. There will be more cash flows and provision of employment for those in building industry and its ancillaries.
She stated that more accommodation will be provided for the teaming population of young school leavers seeking for decent and affordable accommodation within the city.
“Crime rate will also reduce greatly as there will not be less undeveloped properties to serve as hide outs for miscreants and criminals.The city will be better for it as there will be boom in the economy, both the capital city administrative authority and the dwellers will have swell in their pulses and other goods and services will readily move from one hand to another”.
Meanwhile, ESV Kamen said building materials market will boom seriously, artisans and professionals such as Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Architects. Others are Land and Quantity Surveyors, Building, Civil Electrical, Engineers among others will all be happy rendering their services”, she said.
