By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has declared war against activities of land grabbers, as it vows to stop individuals or companies from taking land belonging to the territory without approval.
The administration which was particular about construction companies, warned them against laying claims to lands given to them to house their equipment, saying such gesture does not automatically confer on them ownership.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who made the declaration while handing over 50 Hilux vehicles to security agencies, said he would not be moved by sentiments or blackmail in his bid to sanitize the land administration process in the territory.
Wike, who was obviously reacting to the controversy that trailed the recent revocation of land purportedly belonging to Paulosa Nigeria Ltd, asked those laying claims to revoked lands to produce documents to back their claims, saying he won’t succumb to blackmail.
In his words, “No amount of blackmail can stop us. People take government property without approval, without documents and I have told people that there was a government yesterday, the government did not take any step does not mean that another government will come today and will not take any step. Or even if this government does not, tomorrow another government will come that may take a step. That you did something 15 years ago does not mean it is right.
“The mere fact that nobody tried to tell you it is not right does not make it right. You cannot take blackmail to get something from government. You cannot. Recently, we told Julius Berger to quit from central business area. When the Julius Berger came to Abuja they asked for a site for them to do their construction. That site does not mean it belongs to Julius Berger. Julius Berger has finished their job. They have to quit the land.
“You cannot tell me if they give you a site because of your construction you finish, the land now turns to be your own. Is it possible? Show me the document that it belongs to you. I am not that kind of person you can think that you go on television and start saying you have lived on the land for over 20 years. And so what? You are a squatter. If you like, go and carry everybody. What is wrong is wrong.
“You go behind 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? So, a Rivers man is not entitled to have land in Abuja? You will tell me who is that person that is entitled to have land in Abuja. You can’t tell me that. If you want me to go and publish names of people who have land in Abuja I will go and publish, let Nigerians see. If you want land, you know the right thing to do. You know the right step to take. Through blackmail you won’t get it. You won’t get it.
“If your husband had a company who did a job for Abuja and had a site to stay, that doesn’t make it your husband’s property. It doesn’t. It is for you to come and say please, we have this problem, how can you help us? And not to begin to blackmail people and tell them to go to social media that Mr Wike has come to take your land and he gave it to a House of Representatives member. Ask Chairman of FCT. Who does not have land in the National Assembly? Ask him. Who does not? I mean, some of us, you cannot get us by blackmail. Forget it. If you have a problem, come to us. We will know how to help you. We will know how to solve the problem, not saying “oh, I am a woman. Oh, I am a woman”. What’s that? Because you’re a woman, you will go and carry government land? Let anybody tell the person, bring your documents to show that the property is yours. I have published it on newspapers and people thought I was joking”, he added.
Recall that Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, had earlier refuted allegations of land grabbing against the FCT Administration.
Olayinka in a statement explained that the said land located in Life Camp, Plot 2241, Gwarinpa District, Cadastral Zone C02, was only occupied by Paulosa Nigeria Ltd as a temporary office, under a temporary R of O granted in 1984.
He challenged those circulating the falsehood about their lands being grabbed by the FCTA to provide Right of Occupancy, R of O, or Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, granted by the FCTA.
