Nigeria’s Senate has instructed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to halt ongoing and controversial demolitions under his jurisdiction, pending the conclusion of investigations by its ad-hoc committee.
It immediately set up an ad-hoc committee headed by Senator Jibrin Barau to probe the demolitions.
However, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed to continue demolishing properties illegally built on government lands.
Wike spoke in the wake of a construction company, Paullosa Nigeria Limited, which recently raised the alarm over a demolition notice issued by the Federal Capital Development Authority to demolish its estate in the Life-Camp 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.
Senators reached the resolution on Thursday following a Motion raised by Senator Ireti Kingibe, who expressed concerns that the demolition in the FCT has taken a dangerous dimension.
Kingibe insisted that there was need for the Senate to intervene.
Parts of Kingibe’s Motion read:
- “Further concerned that demolition in FCT is no longer in line with due process and that a cross section of individuals have suffered untold hardship occasioned by massive demolitions which has led to a loss of properties worth billions of naira.
- “Note that the Federal Capital Administration, on the instruction of the Honorable Minister of Federal Capital Territory, embarked on massive demolition of structures within the Federal Capital Territory.
- “Also note that the demolition, according to the FCT authority, was informed by illegal structures and non-development of allocated plots of land by the FCT administration.
- “Concerned that in recent time, the demolition exercise in the FCT is no longer based on reasons adduced by the FCT administration that necessitated the demolition. Further concerned that the current demolition in the FCT is not in line with due process of court orders to demolish.
- “Also concerned that at the moment, an estate by name Merss Paulosa, for which late Colonel Paul Osang Kwanwa of Bebo, is the chairman, is currently under revocation and demolition. And from reliable information, the said plot of land was allocated to him in 1984 with the requisite title document.
- “And further concerned that the owner of this estate was a patriotic Nigerian who served the nation meritoriously and one of the first intakes of the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna, with registration number 001.”
After Kingibe’s presentation, the Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, objected to the Motion and urged colleagues not to stop the Minister from carrying out his statutory functions.
He suggested investigation into the demolitions carried out so far.
In his remarks, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, told the Senator to drop sentiments and be patriotic, stating that damage cannot be done first only to be investigated later.
Expressing fears the government might face court actions from those aggrieved by the demolitions, Senate President Akpabio subsequently ruled for a stay and halt of the exercise.
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.
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.”
