Lagos — PRESIDENT Umaru Yar'Adua has directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), and his counterpart in the Housing and Environment Ministry, Mr. Chuka Odom, to dialogue with officials of the Lagos State government with a view to resolving the dispute between the two sides over some landed properties.

The directive came after a two-hour meeting between the two parties in Abuja. The planned dialogue, sources said, would centre on the ownership, use, management and control of Federal Government landed properties in the state.

Yesterday's meeting focussed on three categories, the first being matters over which the Federal Government could take immediate action without recourse to further dialogue; the contentious ones that may require judicial adjudication to resolve finally; and the third category comprises issues that the Federal Government and Lagos State could dialogue on.

President Yar'Adua, it was gathered, insisted at the meeting that no unilateral action should be taken by the Federal Government team in areas that there appeared to be legal constraints.

"The President also directed the Ministry of Environment and Urban Development and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to meet the Lagos State Government to consider a trade-off where possible and examine all the laws," the source said, adding that President Yar'Adua said the Federal Government would approach the Supreme Court for final legal interpretation on all remaining contentious issues.

Issues involved in the dispute between the federal and Lagos State governments include the ownership of properties leased to third parties in locations other than Ikoyi in Lagos State and properties being redeveloped in partnership with private developers and the Federal Secretariat Ikoyi, Lagos.

Others are properties transferred to Lagos State Government by the Federal Government at the inception of the state, and the Bar Beach/Eko Atlantic City project.