The lawmaker representing Tambuwal/Kebbe Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, Rep Abdussamad Dasuki, has called for the allocation of the forfeited 753 duplexes in an Abuja estate to the military.
He said it is because it was tied to corruption and therefore add to addressing the housing needs of military personnel.
On December 2, 2024, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie ordered the final forfeiture of an expansive estate spanning 150,500 square meters and comprising 753 duplexes and other apartments, located on Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
The forfeiture of the estate is the largest single asset the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered since it was set up in 2003.
In a statement issued on Wednesday to mark Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Dasuki, who is also the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Shipping Services, said the National Assembly must urgently work with the Executive in ensuring that these forfeited massive estate was allocated to the military to address the housing needs of military personnel.
“Doing so is a moral obligation we owe our heroes in active service”, he said, noting that, “At this time that the 2025 budget is undergoing legislative input is an auspicious time to do so, even if it requires invoking the Doctrine of Necessity.”
He said an amended Appropriation Bill for funding of the completion of the housing units to make them habitable for military personnel could be sent by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly.
While noting that the forfeiture is indeed a milestone in the fight against the hydra-headed problem of corruption, Dasuki said another milestone can be recorded in the use this forfeited estate is put to by the Federal Government.
Dasuki said a major area where the wellbeing of military personnel and their families can be enhanced was in the area of housing. “We must ensure that those who keep us safe and their families have a decent place to lay their heads every night,” he said.