The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has justified the demolition of properties in Abuja, stating that he will not be intimidated by blackmail.
Wike explained that the structures targeted for demolition by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) were illegally constructed on government land.
“Let me use this opportunity to tell Nigerians and residents of Abuja, we are not afraid of blackmailing,” the minister said during the distribution of operational vehicles to security agencies at the FCTA Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
“In fact, you cannot be in this kind of position and say you cannot be blackmailed particularly as regards 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.”
In recent months, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has ramped up the demolition of structures it classifies as illegal, including estates and shanties in Abuja.
According to Minister Nyesom Wike, some of these structures pose security risks, while others were built on government-owned land.
Despite backlash and protests, Wike remains resolute, pledging to continue targeting illegally constructed buildings and shanties without compromise.
“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,” Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, said during the event.
“What is wrong is wrong; no amount of blackmail can stop us. People take government property without approval or documentation.”
READ ALSO: EXPOSED: TETFUND Funds Meant for Education Used to Finance APC in Adamawa
Wike’s remarks coincided with the Senate’s decision to investigate the ongoing demolitions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), establishing a committee to examine the situation.
The Senate’s action followed a motion by Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the FCT, who expressed concerns about the demolitions and called for their suspension.
The investigative committee, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, has been tasked with probing the demolitions and summoning Wike to provide explanations for the actions taken in the nation’s capital.
Follow Parallel Facts on WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
