President Bola Tinubu has dissolved the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on the Alienation of Federal Government Properties, bringing to an end the operations of a body that had overseen the disposal of federal government landed assets for more than two decades.

The President also directed the immediate cessation of all activities by the committee’s secretary, B.S. Dutsin-Ma, who was instructed to stop acting on behalf of both the committee and the Federal Government on matters relating to the alienation of government properties.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, all responsibilities previously handled by the dissolved committee will now be coordinated by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.

The statement explained that the Presidential Implementation Committee was established in 2000 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to supervise the privatisation, sale and lease of Federal Government landed assets as part of the government’s monetisation policy.

Its membership included the then Minister of Housing as chairperson, alongside representatives from 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 committee’s pioneer secretary, while other members were drawn from both the public and private sectors.

The Presidency recalled that the Federal Executive Council, on March 22, 2001, approved the establishment of a Panel of Inquiry to produce a White Paper that would guide the implementation of recommendations concerning the committee’s work. The panel reportedly spent 21 months before submitting its report.

However, the government said a review of the committee’s operations showed that it had gone beyond its original mandate, leading to numerous 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.

Although the directive takes immediate effect, the statement noted that the Attorney General would formally coordinate the committee’s activities from November 5, 2025, in line with the President’s decision.

“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,” Onanuga added.