President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved 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 privatisation, sale and lease of federal government assets.
The Presidency announced that, with the committee’s dissolution, all matters relating to its activities will now be coordinated by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
According to the Presidency, President Tinubu directed that the Attorney General assume responsibility for all issues relating to the committee with effect from November 5, 2025, effectively ending the committee’s operations.
The Presidential Implementation Committee was established in 2000 during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as part of the Federal Government’s monetisation policy. It was mandated to oversee the privatisation, sale and lease of federal government landed assets.
Its membership comprised the then Minister of Housing as chairperson, alongside representatives from the Federal 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 committee’s pioneer secretary, while other members were drawn from both the public and private sectors.
The Presidency recalled that on March 22, 2001, the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of a Panel of Inquiry to produce a White Paper to guide the implementation of the committee’s recommendations. The panel reportedly worked for 21 months before submitting its report.
Explaining the decision to wind up the committee, the Presidency said the government found that the committee had gone beyond the responsibilities for which it was originally established.
“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.
Consequently, President Tinubu ordered the immediate dissolution of the committee and transferred responsibility for all related matters to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The Presidency also directed the committee’s former secretary, B. S. Dutsin-Ma, to immediately cease acting on behalf of both the dissolved committee and the Federal Government in connection with any matters relating to the alienation of federal government properties.
The dissolution marks a significant restructuring of the Federal Government’s management of disputes and administrative matters arising from the sale, lease and privatisation of government-owned landed assets, with future oversight now vested exclusively in the Attorney General’s office.
