‘No Campaign Will Stop Us’ — Wike Orders Squatters To Leave Abuja Tech Village

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that no amount of campaigning will deter the government from removing illegal occupants from the Abuja Technology Village site.

During a visit to the area on Monday, accompanied by Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Uche Nnaji, Wike expressed dissatisfaction with the presence of unauthorised settlers at the proposed technology hub.

He said the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has resolved to clear the land, stating, “No amount of campaign will stop us from doing the right thing.”

Wike instructed the Department of Development Control to issue an ultimatum for the occupants to leave, reminding them that compensation was provided to the indigenous community in 2015.

He told the squatters that their presence hinders the project’s progress and discourages potential investors.

Wike further said the Abuja Technology Village management must establish a physical presence on the site by fencing the area and constructing an office.

“I am not impressed with what I am seeing. We don’t lack the political will. If you don’t take action, people will not believe that anything is possible.

“I will call the Development Control Department and give them an ultimatum for these people to leave. They have been compensated since 2015.

“I urge those who settled here illegally to know that we will not hesitate to move them out. No amount of campaign will stop us from doing the right thing,” he said.

The minister asked the management of the technology village to send him an estimate of what would be required to erect an office on the site.

“You are in charge of this place, and you don’t even have an office here, at least to show presence and tell people that we are here.

“So, if an investor is coming now, he is coming to meet an empty land, and you are renting an office outside the village.

“Please, let us know what it will take to erect a befitting office, so you can leave that place that you said that you are renting, and if you calculate the amount of money you spent renting is a waste,” he said.

Nnaji echoed Wike’s concerns and expressed worry that the illegal structures could discourage potential investors, including an American company interested in building a 200-megawatt power plant within the village.

“There are so many other companies that want to start right away, but as this encroachment continues, we have to stop it somewhere, and see how we can take over, either to compensate the owners or demolish them.

“We can’t have this kind of thing here. Our mission here is in the interest of the country, and it is in keeping with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” Nnaji said.

Nnaji added that the technology village would be modelled after the London Technology City and the Silicon Valley.

“So, the infrastructure and technology that this place is going to house in a couple of years would be humongous,” he said.