The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed to continue demolishing properties illegally built on government lands.
PUNCH Online reports that the minister has been criticised for embarking on a widespread demolition of houses in Abuja without due diligence and proper investigation.
A construction company, Paullosa Nigeria Limited, recently raised the alarm over a demolition notice issued by the Federal Capital Development Authority to demolish its estate in the Lifecamp area of Abuja.
The General Manager of the Estate, Vincent Enoghase, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, claimed that the FCDA had demanded N10 million for a Right of Occupancy, which it had paid but was yet to receive before the issuance of the quit notice.
A controversial social media influencer and critic, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, had accused Wike of revoking land titles belonging to the company and reallocating it to Saravera Nigeria Limited and House of Reps Majority Leader and member representing Obio/Akpor Constituency, Kingsley Chinda.
Speaking during the distribution of operational vehicles to security agencies at the FCTA Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, Wike stated that he won’t be swayed by blackmail.
Wike said the structures being demolished were illegally built on government lands and gotten by land grabbers, adding that some of the structures pose security risks.
The minister insisted there was no going back and vowed to go after more illegally constructed buildings and shanties.
He said, “Let me use this opportunity to tell Nigerians and residents of Abuja we are not afraid of blackmailing. In fact, you cannot be in this kind of position, and you cannot be blackmailed, particularly regarding this Abuja. There are so many land grabbers. Some of us have come to put our feet down. Let heaven fall. It is even better that heaven comes down now so that we would not be fasting again to go to heaven.
“We would stop anybody who thinks they will take government land for whatever reason with formal approval. We would not look at your face. If you like, be a civil rights activist or a television personality. What is wrong is wrong; no amount of blackmail can stop us. People take government property without approval or documentation.
“People take government property without approval, without documents. And I have told people that there was a government yesterday, and the government did not take any step, but that does not mean that another government will come today and will not take steps”.
“You are a squatter. If you like, go and carry everybody. What is wrong is wrong. You go back, you tell people to beg me, then you go on television to tell people that they came to take your land, and you said the land was allocated to a Rivers man. So what? Is a Rivers man not entitled to land in Abuja? You tell me who that person is who is entitled to have land in Abuja.”
The minister also warned persons who still owed ground rents in the FCT to pay up or risk their titles being revoked.
He said, “All those who have not paid, who thought we were joking, I am going to revoke all. I am going to do it. You think nothing will happen; something will happen. Go and check your records. If you have not paid, I will give you time to pay. But once the time expires, forget it. I will revoke it and allocate it to those who will pay.”
He said, “Let me use this opportunity to tell Nigerians and residents of Abuja we are not afraid of blackmailing. In fact, you cannot be in this kind of position, and you cannot be blackmailed, particularly regarding this Abuja. There are so many land grabbers. Some of us have come to put our feet down. Let heaven fall. It is even better that heaven comes down now so that we would not be fasting again to go to heaven.
“We would stop anybody who thinks they will take government land for whatever reason with formal approval. We would not look at your face. If you like, be a civil rights activist or a television personality. What is wrong is wrong; no amount of blackmail can stop us. People take government property without approval or documentation.
“People take government property without approval, without documents. And I have told people that there was a government yesterday, and the government did not take any step, but that does not mean that another government will come today and will not take steps”.
“You are a squatter. If you like, go and carry everybody. What is wrong is wrong. You go back, you tell people to beg me, then you go on television to tell people that they came to take your land, and you said the land was allocated to a Rivers man. So what? Is a Rivers man not entitled to land in Abuja? You tell me who that person is who is entitled to have land in Abuja.”
The minister also warned persons who still owed ground rents in the FCT to pay up or risk their titles being revoked.
He said, “All those who have not paid, who thought we were joking, I am going to revoke all. I am going to do it. You think nothing will happen; something will happen. Go and check your records. If you have not paid, I will give you time to pay. But once the time expires, forget it. I will revoke it and allocate it to those who will pay.”
(Punch)
