Senate President Godswill Akpabio has clarified why the Senate cannot fully stop the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from demolishing structures in Abuja.
Wike has faced criticism for his widespread demolition of buildings in the nation’s capital.
Recently, Paullosa Nigeria Limited, a construction company, raised concerns over a demolition notice issued by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) targeting its estate in the Lifecamp area of Abuja.
The estate’s General Manager, Vincent Enoghase, told reporters on Tuesday that the FCDA had demanded N10 million for a Right of Occupancy, which the company had already paid, but had not received before the quit notice was issued.
In a viral video on Wednesday, social media commentator Vincent Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, claimed that the FCT Minister had revoked the land titles of the estate and transferred them to Saravera Nigeria Limited, as well as to Kingsley Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and member representing Obio/Akpor Constituency.
VeryDarkMan urged security agencies to intervene, noting that the original owner of the land had been the first cadet of the Nigerian Army, who passed away four years ago.
On Thursday, Ireti Kingibe, the Senator representing the FCT, raised the issue in plenary, stating that the demolitions were causing significant hardship for the affected individuals. She called on the Senate to intervene and halt the demolition of structures, including those in estates already marked for demolition.
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) seconded the motion, arguing that the demolition exercise should be paused until the Senate completes its investigation into the matter.
However, Akpabio explained that the Senate could not stop all demolitions, as some were authorized by court orders.
He directed the minister to proceed with demolitions that had been mandated by the courts, to avoid being accused of disregarding court rulings.
The Senate established a 9-member ad hoc committee to investigate the legitimacy of the demolition actions. Wike was asked to appear before the committee
Additionally, the Senate resolved that any structures marked for demolition in the FCT that are not backed by court orders should not be touched until the committee consults with the FCT minister and reports back to the Senate for further action.
