FCT News
Wike allegedly ignores court order demolish Abuja property
Controversy has continued to trail demolition of an Abuja property next door to the Abuja residence of the Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike who ordered the demolition had allegedly ignored a court order.
The property, which is owned by an entity known as Shrodder Nigeria Limited, is located at the Cadastral Zone of the Maitama District.
Controversy over the demolition has, however, been brought to the attention of President Bola Tinubu.
Disputation over the land began last year, precisely on October 4, when the former Minister of the FCT, Mallam Muhammad Bello, and officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority abruptly invaded the property.
It was gathered that a day after the invasion, on October 5, the then Minister gave an order to the FCDA sealing off the property and also deposited a detachment of mobile policemen to lock out construction workers from gaining entry into the property.
According to documents, the sealing off of the property was without prior notice of infraction.
Consequently, the owners of the property caused a legal action of trespass and unlawful occupation against the Minister of the FCT and the FCDA.
The law suit was filed on October 10, 2022 in suit number FCT/HC/CV/3449/2022: SHRODDER NIGERIA LIMITED & 1 OR vs MINISTER OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY & 1 OR, before Justice Abubakar Musa of High Court of the FCT.
Judgement on the case was entered on April 4, this year in favour of the complainant.
The trial judge in his ruling said unequivocally, “that an order of perpetual injunction is hereby made restraining the defendants from further interfering with the 1st Claimant’s lawful use, quiet possession, occupation of the plot.
“That the forceful take over and occupation by the defendants of the plot on the 5th day of October 2022 constitutes an act of trespass.
“That the defendants are hereby ordered to vacate with immediate effect, the Claimant’s property, unseal the property and to remove forthwith the mobile policemen they had unlawfully and illegally installed on the property since on the 5th day of October, 2022.”
The Judge went further to stipulate penalties in damages in favour of the Claimants.
It was gathered that neither the Minister of the FCT nor the FCDA appealed the judgment of the High Court.
Although the FCDA refused to comply with the order of the court in removing the seal order on the property, a new twist was made to the controversy when, last week Tuesday, September 19, the new Minister of the FCT, Wike invaded the property with bulldozers to bring it down.
The action by Wike was devoid of a prior notice of demolition and in direct violation of the April 4, 2023 ruling of a court on the matter.
It was gathered that the machinery deployed to pull down the property failed to accomplish the task because of the structural fortification on the property, a development that was said to have infuriated Wike who then ordered that the property should be razed to the ground.
The expansive property, which is a next-door neighbour to Gbajabiamila, was eventually brought down on Thursday, 28 September.
Sources who worked on the property said that the property had been there long before Gbajabiamila assumed occupancy of his ultra modern property in 2019 when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives.
It was also gathered that the topmost floor of the property, before it was pulled down, was said to be overlooking the private swimming pool on Gbajabiamila’s property.
An SOS letter that was written to President Tinubu on the controversy, dated September 26, reads in part: “Our earlier letters to the Honourable Minister of the FCT on the referenced respectively dated 14 October, 2022 and 19 April, 2023 refer.
“On the 5th day of October, 2022, the plot was sealed off by men of the Nigeria Police Force who remained posted on the plot on the apparent directive of the Honourable Minister of the FCT who had visited the property earlier on the 4th October, 2022.
“We must state right away that the demolition of our client’s property from the 19th September, 2023 is unlawful, contemptuous, brazen and a volte-face sabotage of every tenets of the rule of law to which your excellency swore to extol.
“Your Excellency, our client’s title to the referenced property is unencumbered. The development of the plot was with approvals from the FCDA.
“Upon reasonable apprehension of infraction on our right to the referenced property, our clients commenced suit challenging the unlawful seal, and post of men of the Nigeria Police Force on its property as well as seeking perpetual injunctions, restraining the Minister of FCT and the FCDA from trespassing on our client’s property.
“Judgement was delivered by the High Court of the FCT in favour of our client on the 4th day of April 2023 whereof the court granted the reliefs sought by our client.
“It was following the referenced judgement of the court that Inspector General of Police directed the unsealing of our client’s property by men of the Nigeria Police Force.”
“It is significant to mention that the Honourable Minister of the FCT and the FCDA were all represented by Counsels in the litigation process. It is even more significant to mention that in the Defence of the Minister of FCT and FCDA, it was admitted that our client’s title to property is unencumbered. No infraction whatsoever was alleged in the joint defence.
“Upon arrival at the site of the 19th of September 2023, when the demolition commenced, our client confronted the Director,
Development Control of the FCDA who was supervising the demolition, with the referenced judgment of the court on the subject-matter.
“The Director expressed regrets and stated that if he had remembered the judgment, he would not have commenced the demolition and quickly aborted further demolition of the property.
“Sadly, the FCDA returned to the property on the 21st September 2023 and continued with the demolition.
“We humbly seek the intervention of Your Excellency to stop the Honourable Minister of the FCT brazen affront, indiscretion and utter desecration to the rule of law and direct reimbursement to our client.”
The Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), Mr. Michael Ango, has declared that the ongoing harmonisation of revenue collection and administration will effectively address the issue of multiple taxation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Appearing on Channels Television’s Dateline Abuja, Ango revealed that the FCT-IRS is working closely with government agencies and the six area councils to ensure the seamless implementation of the initiative.
He commended FCT Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike for his directive and support in streamlining the tax system to make it more efficient for taxpayers while boosting revenue.
“The minister has tasked us to ensure the issue of multiple taxes is resolved swiftly. To achieve this, we aligned with the Federal Government’s Tax Reform Committee, where I served before my appointment. The FCT has now been adopted as a pilot for tax harmonisation, and the process is already underway,” Ango stated.
He explained that under the new system, taxpayers will no longer need to interact with multiple agencies. Taxes and levies for bodies such as AGIS, Development Control, Water Board, Abuja Environmental Protection Agency, and area councils can now be paid through FCT-IRS, which will handle collection and remittance.
“For instance, if you have 30 houses, you don’t need three agents to manage your rent collection. With this harmonisation, all taxes and levies will be centrally collected and properly distributed to the relevant agencies,” he explained.
Ango also emphasized the importance of voluntary compliance, urging taxpayers to view paying taxes as a civic duty. He highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects and services across the FCT as evidence of the effective use of tax revenues, encouraging residents to support development by fulfilling their tax obligations.
The harmonisation initiative is expected to streamline tax processes, eliminate redundancies, and provide a more transparent and efficient system for revenue collection in the FCT.
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Comrade Timi Frank, has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately intervene and stop the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from demolishing the homes of economically vulnerable residents in Abuja.
In a statement from Abuja, Frank accused Wike of using demolitions as a ploy for land grabbing, alleging that Wike allocates revoked plots to his associates and personally benefits from this practice.
Frank expressed concern that the minister’s actions damage the reputation of Tinubu’s administration, branding Wike’s demolitions as “ill-timed” and self-serving.
Frank further alleged that Wike has taken more aggressive action than any past FCT minister, reportedly revoking land to distribute it to close allies and influential figures.
He claimed Wike advised affected residents to pursue legal action, while allegedly having influence over the judiciary.
Additionally, Frank asserted that Wike is using land sales to fund political conflicts outside the FCT, including with Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Frank warned Tinubu that failure to address Wike’s actions could damage the administration’s credibility and urged the President to act decisively by relieving Wike of his role.
He noted that Wike’s methods, similar to those used in Rivers State, are unwelcome in the FCT and called for swift action to prevent further harm to the government’s image and FCT residents.
FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has described the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as a cornerstone of national integration and development since its inception in 1973.
Mahmoud spoke during the NYSC pre-mobilization workshop held in the nation’s capital, Abuja, stressing that the programme was designed to foster unity among young Nigerians.
Special Advisa on Media the Minister, Austine Elemue in a statement on Tuesday quoted the minister, who was the Chief Host of the event to have noted that the theme of the workshop, “Strengthening the NYSC mobilization process for effective service delivery” resonates deeply with the aspirations of the national vision.
Mahmoud charged stakeholders to play critical role in shaping the experiences of young Nigerian graduates, ensuring that they are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and mindset to contribute positively to the society.
“We are in a dynamic world where the needs of our communities are evolving rapidly.
“Therefore, our prospective corps members must be prepared to meet these challenges with creativity, resilience, and spirit of innovation.
“This workshop is an opportunity to share best practices, explore new ideas, and collaborate on strategies that will enhance the effectiveness of the NYSC programme”.
The minister used the occasion to commend the leadership of the NYSC for their unwavering commitment to improving the quality of service rendered by corps members.
“Your dedication to training and preparing our youth for the responsibilities they will undertake is commendable. By investing in their development, we are investing in the future of Nigeria,” she stressed.
While welcoming participants to the occasion, the NYSC Director General, Brig Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, noted that over the years, the NYSC programme has been the vanguard of nation building, fostering unity among the different nationalities as well as playing critical role in national development.
According to him, “the imprints of the scheme is all over the landscape of our nation from the mega cities to the very rural communities of Nigeria.”
Ahmed emphasised that the mobilization process is a very critical component of the service year that deserved all seriousness, adding that the place of effective service delivery in a successful mobilization process cannot be overemphasized.
The Director General, pledged that the management remains committed in ensuring that the right things are done at all times from the beginning to the end of the mobilization process
.
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