UK Returnee Threatens To Leave Nigeria After FCTA Demolishes £75,000 Abuja Business

A Nigerian returnee investor, Charles Avwenagha, has threatened to leave Nigeria permanently and renounce his Nigerian citizenship after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) demolished his business premises in Abuja, which he said was funded with a £75,000 loan obtained in the United Kingdom.

Avwenagha, owner of Stopover Bar and Grill in the Lokogoma area of Abuja, alleged that the business was demolished on Tuesday without any formal notice from the authorities.

Speaking during an interview at the demolished site, captured in a video report by Per Second News, Avwenagha expressed frustration over the incident, saying he was now considering returning to the United Kingdom permanently.

“As I’m talking to you now, I’m actually thinking of counting my losses, packing my load and going back and tearing the Nigerian passport. I have friends in the UK that have done it. I’m thinking of that as I speak,” he said.

According to him, he only became aware of the impending demolition through rumours circulating about a week earlier that the FCTA planned to reclaim the land.

“I heard rumours about a week ago that they were coming to claim this land from nowhere. Nobody gave me any notification. Nobody came to me with any form of notice,” he said.

Avwenagha explained that he voluntarily shut down operations on Sunday and commenced the removal of equipment from the premises ahead of the anticipated exercise.

He said artisans, including welders, carpenters and masons, were dismantling parts of the structure when officials arrived with bulldozers on Tuesday.

“Around 12-1 in the afternoon, bulldozers just came. They saw people on the roof, taking out roof, taking out wood, welders working. They told them to come down and bulldoze the whole place to the ground,” he recounted.

The investor disclosed that he established the business just over a year ago after returning from the UK to invest in Nigeria, adding that he had no political connections or government contracts.

“I came with money from the UK to invest here. So I have to deal with that loan now. Eighty-four staff. That’s what I was feeding here. It’s painful. I stood there and I watched it go. Nobody cares,” he lamented.

He questioned the government’s commitment to attracting diaspora investments, arguing that the demolition had led to widespread job losses in the area.

“Are you telling me now to convince anybody to come from diaspora to invest in this country? Look at 84 people. In this place alone, I’m not exaggerating, at least 300 people have been jobless. Are you people saying they are creating jobs? Is this how you create jobs?” he asked.

Avwenagha also listed other affected businesses, including Barbados, Amalashita, RM’s Gym, Hunter’s and Ari’s, which he claimed were similarly demolished.

The manager of Stopover Bar and Grill, Muktar Yahaya, corroborated Avwenagha’s account, saying workers were still evacuating equipment from the premises when the demolition team arrived and ordered everyone off the site.

Some employees, including Eze Chidimma, also recounted how the demolition abruptly ended their means of livelihood.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has carried out several demolition exercises across Abuja in recent months, maintaining that the affected structures were illegally erected on government land.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has consistently defended the exercise, insisting it is necessary to protect lives and property and restore the Abuja Master Plan. He has also vowed to continue the demolitions despite criticisms from affected residents, lawmakers and civil society organisations.

In December 2024, the Senate urged the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to suspend further demolitions except those backed by orders of courts of competent jurisdiction following widespread public outcry.

However, Wike maintained that the administration would not reverse its decision, describing those affected as land grabbers and dismissing allegations of victimisation and blackmail by critics.