- Demand FCT Minister’s Removal
- Wike Fires Back: “Shut Up…All land in FCT Belong to FCT”.
By Abiola Olawale
Hundreds of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Friday took to the streets to express their grievances about policies being implemented by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
The protesting residents who held several placards with various inscriptions protested against what they described as “land grabbing policies” allegedly implemented by Wike.
They claimed the Minister has allegedly been acquiring people’s inappropriately. The residents also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately wade in and stop Wike from allegedly displacing hundreds of residents of FCT from their homes.
Addressing the press during the protest, lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju said: “They are dismayed and they are worried that efforts to grab this land are more pressing and it is more unrelenting. Just like we have said earlier, we are appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on the FCT minister to release poor people’s lands to them. Poor people’s lands belong to the poor people.
“If they are badly in need of land to grab, they should go to Asokoro, Maitama Extension, and Guzape. There are many places to grab land. Why will you come to the poor to grab land so that you can give it to the rich? It will increase insecurity in the country.”
Also, social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse popularly known as VeryDarkMan who spoke with the press said: “In this bad economy, with the price of dollars, with the price of foodstuffs, and you did not create a place for them to stay. This is craziness, wickedness and it is not fair. This act will cause a very great insecurity.”
The New Diplomat reports that this comes after Wike was seen in a viral video chiding some residents of Lugbe over allegations of building on government land.
In the viral video, Wike, who paid a visit to Lugbe, was heard furiously lashing out at the residents over an alleged illegal possession of lands.
The residents, however, protested, arguing that they secured the land legally and they had documents to prove legal ownership of the land.
“We are not land grabbers, we are developers. We have papers. We have submitted these papers to the authorities,” they chorused.
The response appeared to have triggered Wike, who yelled at the residents. He said: “Shut up! Every land in the FCT belongs to the FCT. The Supreme Court said the area councils do not have the power to allot land. And that was why the area councils came to us to grant them that request.
“The only thing you can do is go to court. If you like harass us. I will not settle you because you have taken laws into your hands.
“Who told you you can talk? Is it because I came down to talk to you? If you think that you take something… you are not the only one. Be careful. Stupid.”
