Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike directed settlers in the area to vacate immediately or face demolition during an inspection tour of the Abuja Science and Technology Village in Chika-Aleita along the airport road on Monday,
Accompanied by Uche Godfrey Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Wike ordered the Department of Development Control to oversee the removal of settlers, citing compensations paid to earlier settlers.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the situation, Wike emphasized the need for action, stating, “If you don’t take action, people will not believe that anything is possible.” He urged swift action to fence the area and facilitate investor interest.
Wike criticized the absence of a functional office on-site, urging officials to establish one to project a presence and attract investors effectively.
“I am not impressed with what I am seeing. We don’t lack the political will, as we do have it. If you don’t take action, people will not believe that anything is possible. As I go back now, I will call the Development Control Department and give them ultimatum for these people to leave. They have been compensated since 2015, but if that was the case, I don’t know why we couldn’t fence the area up till now.
He said “When this fencing takes place, you will see that they wouldn’t have choice, but to leave.
“I have invited the Minister of Science and Technology, so that he could take active possession of the place and see how investors can come in.
“I was thinking that a lot of activities are going on here, not knowing that it is empty land. The roads have been provided, and that ought to interest investors, but it depends on what you people have been doing since. We must quickly see what we can do.
“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.
“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. If you calculate the amount of money you spend renting, it is a waste, as you could use that money to start doing something good”, he added.
In response, Minister Uche Nnaji highlighted the village’s potential, envisioning it as a hub akin to London Technology City and Silicon Valley.
He emphasized the need to address encroachments to realize the village’s full potential.
The Abuja Technology Village, established by the Federal Government in 1999, aims to foster science and technology innovation as a Free Trade Zone.
