Yar'Adua forfeit land to govt

2007-11-09 08:18

Lagos - Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua, has ratified revocation of Abuja plots allocated to him and other top citizens by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration, say reports.

The country's highest ruling body cited "overriding public interests" for the revocation of the choice plots in the federal capital city and the measure was also ratified by the head of state himself.

Minister for Information John Odey said: "The Federal Executive Council ratified the approval given by Mr President (Yar'Adua) for the revocation of the titles over plots within the vicinity of the Pendan Dam located behind the Aso villa for overriding public interests."

Odey said the plots of land, 38 in all, fell within the green areas in the federal capital city.

"The important thing is that the President as a law-abiding Nigerian is sticking to the principle of rule of law and also the master-plan that those designated areas will also be maintained to be green areas," added the minister.

He said Yar'Adua was granted one of the plots when he was the governor of the northern Katsina state.

The plots had been allocated to the beneficiaries by Obasanjo who quit power on May 29 after ruling the West African country for eight years.

However, the Obasanjo administration demolished many structures in the federal capital city, including the houses of chairperson of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Ali, as part of an effort to restore the city's master plan.

- AFP