President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, ending the activities of the committee established more than two decades ago to oversee the disposal of federal assets.
The development was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, all matters relating to the activities of the dissolved committee will henceforth be coordinated by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
The Presidency explained that the committee was established in 2000 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to oversee the privatisation, sale and lease of Federal Government landed assets under the government’s monetisation policy.
Its membership comprised the then Minister of Housing as chairperson, alongside representatives of the Ministries of Transportation, Justice, Health and Agriculture, as well as the Nigeria Police Force. Professor P.T. Ahire, then a Deputy Director in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, served as the pioneer secretary.
The statement recalled that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the establishment of a Panel of Inquiry on March 22, 2001, to produce a White Paper that would guide the implementation of its recommendations. The panel reportedly worked for 21 months before submitting its report.
Explaining the decision to dissolve the committee, the Presidency said its operations had extended beyond its original responsibilities, leading to multiple litigations across the country.
“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, and the continued existence of the Committee is no longer justified,” the statement said.
President Tinubu also directed that the Attorney General of the Federation should immediately assume responsibility for coordinating all matters relating to the committee.
“Accordingly, the President directed the dissolution of the PIC and that the Attorney General of the Federation coordinate its activities with effect from November 5, 2025,” the statement added.
The Presidency further directed the committee’s former secretary, B.S. Dutsin-Ma, to immediately cease acting on behalf of the dissolved committee or the Federal Government on matters relating to its activities.
“Following the President’s directive, the PIC stands dissolved, and the erstwhile Secretary, B.S. Dutsin-Ma, is hereby further directed to cease acting on behalf of the committee and the Federal Government on related matters,” the statement concluded.
