FCT Battling With 800 Litigations, Says Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has explained that he engaged Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to handle cases involving the administration.

He lamented that lack of diligent prosecution of court cases in the past by FCT officials led to the loss of numerous cases.

Wike who made this known yesterday during the defence of N61 billion supplementary budget, before the House of Representatives Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, said there were currently over 800 litigations involving the FCT.

He alleged complicity on the part of certain officials who connived with plaintiffs to get judgements against the FCT administration.

According to the minister, he has never seen a territory with over 800 litigations and that some of these litigations were in connivance with staff of the FCT.

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“So, I said I will engage SANs because I don’t want a situation whereby someone will go to court and then agree with the plaintiffs and judgment is entered against the FCT,” he said.

The minister who said the budget components are project-specific, added that President Bola Tinubu would commission most of them including the Abuja Metroline by May as part of activities marking the president’s one year in office.

“Mr President will commission the metroline by May. If you look at the national budget, there is a provision for the rail project,” he said.

While speaking on security, the minister said the administration would revive the city’s mass transit system to eliminate cases of ‘one chance’, adding that private operators would undergo security vetting before being allowed into the system.

He said he was working with the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA and the State Security Services SSS with regards to providing Closed Circuit Television CCTV cameras in strategic parts of the city.

Responding to a question on the fate of victims of the administration’s demolition exercises, the minister said Nigerians cannot desire a world-class Federal Capital Territory and then make excuses for unplanned and illegal developments.

He noted that demolitions could not be stopped as long as people continue to build on green areas, water and sewage lines and other unapproved places. He said the administration would however pay compensation in areas designated for resettlement.

“We cannot stop demolitions. You cannot go and build in a green area and then when we demolish, you want us to compensate you. Illegality is illegality. But if we want to acquire your property for development, we will pay you,” he said.

Wike also vowed to cancel some Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) entered into by the administration with some private developers, saying those arrangements had been used to fleece the administration of billions in the past.