•says “I will not stop demolition”
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike on Tuesday supervised the demolition of unplanned shanties in the nation’s capital, Abuja, obstructing the ongoing construction of Arterial Road N16 through Gishiri Village in Katampe.
Wike said he had been on the site more than four times. He disclosed that he sat down with the community leaders and their chiefs, explaining the need for them to cooperate with the government so that the contractor, the CGC, will be able to correct the road and then hand it over by May, probably for the inauguration to mark President Tinubu’s second year anniversary.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE : Oyo govt begins demolition of properties on acquired land in Ibadan
He said: “Well, you realise that I have been here for more than four times. We have sat down with the community leaders and their chiefs. I have told them the need for them to cooperate with the government so that the contractor, the CGC, will be able to correct this road and then hand it over by May.
“The traditional ruler, of course, pleaded with us to give them one week. The money for compensation has been made available. And we did also promise them that as part of that, we will make it available somewhere they can relocate.
“But with all these assurances, it does appear from what I got in the report that work is still going on. And I did inform the traditional ruler that this work has to go on. And an office of no government would fall in steps and allow people to sabotage for the interest of the public, not as if anybody is coming to acquire land to build houses.
“So I called them from Milan that I’m going to be personally here to supervise this demolition. And that’s what I came for, letting them know that it’s no longer going to be business as usual. Your Excellency, the perception the public may have of this may not be true.
“The point is, the people, I mean, there’s a woman that was almost caught in the demolition and all of that. But we have given them enough time. I’m not going to say that because of few people, the government will not do their work.
“No. We’ve given them more than two, three months. And nobody, I can’t just fold my hands and say, okay, let it just stop. No, we won’t do that. Some would argue that you need to put a human face to it. I don’t know what human is more than what we’ve done.”
It would be recalled that Wike on Tuesday, January, 1 2025, was asked if he was distracted by the ongoing public cry, stated that after he inspected the ongoing construction of Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX), Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal and Saburi – Dei Dei road, said, “Nothing distracts me. I am very focused.”
The former Rivers governor added, “Even if people are complaining, it is part of governance. You don’t expect that you will superintend over the affairs of people and then you satisfy everybody. People must complain, but I can tell you such complaints cannot distract us. I am very focused, and since it is part of our job, we will continue to do what is necessary.
“Forget about what people say about demolition; demolition must go ahead. We demolish shanties, we demolish illegal buildings. It doesn’t matter what anybody will say. At the end of the day, they will still come back to say, ‘You did a good job.”
and then