Illegal Constructions Will Be Demolished, Residents’ Properties Safe – Wike Warns Estate Developers – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike has assured residents of an estate embroiled in ownership disputes that their properties will not be seized by the government, even as he warned that illegal constructions in the area will continue to be demolished.

Speaking during an on-the-spot assessment of the disputed estate on Saturday in Abuja, Wike made it clear that the administration’s intervention was aimed at protecting genuine homeowners while addressing fraudulent transactions involving developers.

“What we agreed to do, in order not to make a lot of people, Nigerians, who may have either fraudulently obtained or built houses, is to give them back Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) directly allocated by the FCT Administration. So this cry that ‘oh, they want to take their property’ is neither here nor there. That is not the intention of the FCT Administration,” Wike explained.

The Minister revealed that the disagreement initially involved a Canadian company, Jonah 8, and the FCTA, but accused another firm, Paulo Homes, of illegally entering the deal in violation of the original lease agreement.

“Paulo Homes have no business with FCT. Let it be on record. Entering into an agreement with a third party is a contravention of one of the clauses of the lease agreement,” he stressed.

Wike disclosed that the lease agreement had already expired, yet Paulo Homes attempted to carry out fresh construction in defiance of government directives. “Overnight, they started construction in order to tie the hands of the administration, which of course, you know, we will not succumb to. So we sent the Department of Development Control to demolish every construction going on. And that will continue,” he said.

The Minister further cautioned unsuspecting Nigerians against falling victim to fraudulent developers. “Anybody who is doing anything here now is at his own risk. It will go down. No amount of blackmail will stop us. People want to use government to make money, but we are saying do things the right way,” he said.

To reassure property owners, Wike announced that the FCTA will issue new Certificates of Occupancy to residents who obtained documents through Paulo Homes. “We are going to invite them for a meeting next week to explain what we intend to do. So there’s no cause for alarm,” he assured.

The Minister also emphasised that while the FCTA remains committed to upholding the rule of law and sanitising land administration in the capital city, no genuine property owner will lose their investment.