Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), shared on Monday the details of how he revoked the certificate of occupancy (C of O) for several plots of land in the Katampe District of Abuja that had been allocated to Julius Berger.
Wike made these remarks while addressing the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, during the official Flag-Off Ceremony for the Design and Construction of 40 Judges’ Quarters in the nation’s capital. The President of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, was also present at the event.
The former Governor of Rivers State explained that he took action to revoke the land despite having recently dined with the managing director of Julius Berger.
“My Lord, I want to bring something to your attention. You see this land here? When we were searching for a location to build, I drove around looking for vacant land and came across this site,” he began.
“I noticed a large sign that read ‘Julius Berger.’ I didn’t say anything at the time. I contacted the director of lands to inquire about the ownership of the land, and he informed me it belonged to Julius Berger. I asked when it was allocated, and he replied it had been about 15 to 20 years ago. I was surprised to learn that nothing had been done with it. I didn’t pursue it further.
“I then invited the managing director of Julius Berger for dinner. He came, and we had a pleasant evening, but I didn’t mention the land. The following day, he came to my office and found the revocation letter, which was issued in the interest of the public.
“He called me, surprised, saying, ‘But we had dinner together.’ I replied, ‘Yes, we did, but we didn’t discuss the land.’
“How can the government allocate land for over 20 years to organizations without any development taking place? Thankfully, they did not develop it, and now we have the opportunity to utilize it.”
