News
Full List: 6,000 Buildings Risk Demolition As Wike Maps 30 FCT Areas
Published
2 years agoon
By
Editor
The Federal Government may demolish no fewer than 30 illegal settlements and slums and over 6,000 illegal buildings in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as part of measures to restore the nation’s capital’s master plan.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who dropped the hint on resuming office on Monday, said all illegal buildings distorting the Abuja master plan would be pulled down.
Wike vowed to flatten all illegal buildings even if they belonged to a minister or an ambassador.
Findings by The PUNCH indicate that the slums that might be affected by the urban renewal programme would include Apo Mechanic Village, Byanzhin, Dawaki, Dei Dei, Durumi, Dutse, Garki, Garki Village, Gishiri, Gwagwalape, Idu, Jabi, Kado Village, Karmo, Karshi, Karu, Katampe, Ketti Village, Kpaduma, Kabusa, Kpana Village, Kubwa, Lokogoma, Lugbe, Mabushi, Mpape, Nyanya and Piya Kasa.
Also, those who acquired lands from Abuja indigenes may lose their investments as they were regarded by the FCT Administration as illegal.
Checks indicate that the 6,000 structures that may be affected by the restoration plans included buildings that have been abandoned for a long time in violation of the building code.
READ ALSO: Buildings ‘ll Go Down’ — Wike Roars As He Assumes Office As FCT Minister
A 2022 report by the Federal Capital Territory Administration indicated that at least 6,000 abandoned homes may be affected by the threat of demolition or revocation of land titles.
The figure may, however, increase as it doesn’t include the number of illegal homes or slums in the FCT, according to FCTA officials, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Monday.
Speaking in a telephone interview on Monday, the FCTA Department of Development Control Director, Muktar Galadima, stated that a new survey might have to be conducted to evaluate the current realities.
He said, “We would have to go back to the field to ascertain that figure because some of them have completed their development since we gave that figure. We would find time to go back and conduct a new survey. As of February 2022, 6,000 abandoned houses were identified.”
Unveiling his vision to journalists and FCT Administration officials after taking the oath of office alongside 44 other ministers at the banquet hall of the President Villa, Abuja, the FCT minister also said he would revoke lands that had remained undeveloped for a long period of time.
The ex-Rivers State governor warned that houses that distorted the Abuja Master plan, including those built on green areas will also be demolished, vowing to ‘’step on toes.’’
READ ALSO: Edo Govt Commences Disbursement Of N1.3bn To Council Of Traditional Rulers
Asked if his planned demolition was not a form of vendetta against his perceived enemies, Wike simply promised a hard time for those who violated the law irrespective of their status or position in society.
He further warned that lands that had not been developed for years, or for which ground rents had not been paid would be revoked and reallocated to those who would complete the building within a short period of time.
Wike’s agenda
Wike stated, “All those people who are distorting the master plan of Abuja, too bad. If you know you have built where you are not supposed to build, it will go down. Be you a minister of anywhere, be you an ambassador, if you know you have developed where you were not supposed to develop, your house must go down. Those who have taken over the green areas to build; sorry, our parks must come back, the green areas must come back. If you hate green, you must hate yourself.’’
Continuing, the ex-governor added, ‘’And those that the government has given C of O (Certificate of Occupancy) or allocated lands to them, that refused to develop and use, and they are becoming land speculators, the land is gone. I’m going to revoke them. We will take back our land and give to those who want to develop, and you must sign that you must develop at so and so time.’’
The minister took time to explain why he would not spare ground rent defaulters, stating that he would not issue a demand notice before revoking their plots.
He warned, “For those of you who also have refused to pay your ground rent; non-payment of ground rent is a breach of covenant. I don’t need to write to you to pay. So, if you have not paid, be it national whatever you call it, bank o, anywhere; big man o, sorry, I will not be tired to revoke.’’
‘’And all those who have left their old houses to be shanties for criminals; you are building houses for over 15 years, uncompleted buildings, now criminals have taken over the place, the government will take it back. All those uncompleted buildings defacing the city, particularly in Maitama and Asokoro, and Wuse, all those areas, I’ll take them back,’’ he threatened.
The former Rivers state governor also used the opportunity to address speculations that he might be sanctioned by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, for accepting the ministerial nomination, stating that President Bola Tinubu asked all the state governors to nominate 10 persons each.
He disclosed that he wrote to his party leaders before accepting the nomination.
He noted, “They say they are going to sanction me that I took an appointment. That is ridiculous. The President wrote to every governor, 36 state governors, to bring names of people to appoint. Every PDP governor wrote a letter and nominated 10 persons for appointment to this government.
“The one they talk about is Wike. Before this appointment came, I wrote to the national party chairman, I wrote to the minority leaders of the House of Reps and Senate, I wrote to the zonal chairman of the party, I wrote to my state chairman, I wrote to my governor; all of them wrote me back and sent it. I have it in evidence, documented.’’
Wike promised to revive the FCT transportation sector by reintroducing the mass transit buses and clearing motorcycles from within the city centre.
The minister emphasised that his administration will work to develop the outer regions of the city, depopulate the city centre and bring development to the communities on the outskirts of the nation’s capital.
‘No okada’
Vowing to rid the city of motorcycles and tricycles, he said, “Motorcycles cannot take over the city, it is not possible. You are dragging a road with a motorcycle, and even the motorcycle is not wearing any security, no helmet, and he’s carrying somebody at the back. Keke Napep (tricycles) have taken over the whole place.
“We are going to provide alternatives to reduce the suffering of the people, who may not have the means to have their own private vehicles. We must also extend development to the area councils, we must extend development.
“If you do that, so many people would not like to come and live in the city. That’s part of decongesting the city. Look at the Metro line, it’s not working, is it working? We will bring it back.”
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News
Lagos Suspends BRT Lane Enforcement On Eko Bridge, Odo Iya-Alaro
Published
5 hours agoon
July 2, 2025By
Editor
The Lagos State Government has temporarily suspended enforcement of the Bus Rapid Transit lane along the Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro corridor to ease growing traffic congestion.
This gridlock is a result of the ongoing structural rehabilitation on the Ogudu-Ifako Bridge expansion joint.
Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa announced the suspension on Wednesday, describing it as a strategic move to tackle gridlock in affected parts of the city.
“This remedial measure, conceived as a palliative response to mitigate commuter hardship, aligns with the Lagos State Government’s forward-thinking and adaptive transportation strategy under the THEMES Plus Agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, particularly within the framework of sustainable traffic management and infrastructure modernisation,” Giwa said.
READ ALSO:Lagos Monarch Dethrones Six Chiefs For ‘Impersonating’ Him At Labour Party Campaign
He explained that the temporary suspension is a transitional and conditional measure aimed at absorbing the anticipated vehicular overflow caused by the partial closure of the Ifako-bound carriageway of the Third Mainland corridor.
“We are fully cognizant of the immense strain currently imposed on key ingress routes into the Lagos Mainland. Consequently, this tactical suspension of BRT lane enforcement is a calculated response designed to deliver immediate relief, reduce commuting time, and preserve the fluidity of vehicular movement throughout the duration of the bridge repairs,” he added.
According to him, the directive takes immediate effect and allows general vehicular access to previously restricted BRT corridors on Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro, particularly during peak travel periods.
He said this move is expected to expand available road capacity and ease traffic along critical routes.
READ ALSO:Lagos Opens Teacher Recruitment Portal For Two Weeks
Giwa, however, stressed that commercial buses and articulated vehicles must remain in compliance with existing safety rules and loading guidelines to avoid worsening traffic conditions or compromising public safety.
He also disclosed that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has been mobilised to strengthen its presence along the affected corridors.
“Enhanced personnel deployment and traffic equipment are now in place to ensure orderly conduct, prevent exploitation of the temporary suspension, and respond promptly to any emergent traffic disturbances,” Giwa stated.
News
Lagos Opens Teacher Recruitment Portal For Two Weeks
Published
6 hours agoon
July 2, 2025By
Editor
The Lagos State Government has announced the reactivation of its teaching job recruitment portal to allow qualified individuals to apply for entry-level teaching positions.
In a notice issued by the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission on Tuesday, the portal will be open for applications from Tuesday, July 1 to Monday, July 14, 2025.
“The Lagos State Teaching Service Commission is set to reactivate its Recruitment Portal as a bold step towards improving access to employment opportunities, equity, and fairness.
READ ALSO:FG Gives Overstaying Foreigners Ultimatum To Regularise Visa
“The job portal, which will be accessible for two weeks (Tuesday, July 1st 2025, to Monday, July 14th, 2025), is intended to provide a centralised platform where individuals can apply for State Teaching jobs at the entry level (GL 08) in their relevant fields,” the notice read.
The move, according to the Commission, is aimed at improving access to employment opportunities in the education sector while ensuring equity and fairness.
TESCOM urged interested applicants with a degree in Education or other relevant qualifications to visit the official portal https://tescomjobs.lagosstate.gov.ng and apply for teaching roles at Grade Level 08.
The notice was signed by the Chairman of the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission.
News
FG Unveils N50m Grant To Boost Student Innovation, Entrepreneurship
Published
6 hours agoon
July 2, 2025By
Editor
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced a N50m Student Grant Venture Capital Initiative to support scaling student-led enterprises in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Alausa said the initiative aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry by turning homegrown research into commercially viable products and services.
The minister made the announcement on Wednesday in Abuja when he inaugurated the Research and Innovation Commercialisation Committee.
READ ALSO:NSCDC, Immigration, Others: FG Postpones Recruitment, Changes Portal
He said the scheme, which will be anchored by TETFund in partnership with the Bank of India, targets undergraduate students in 300-level and above with viable business models and innovations ready for market expansion.
According to the minister, the development is aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of transitioning Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-driven one.
“We have hundreds of thousands of young geniuses across our institutions. This fund is designed to unlock their potential and help them build globally competitive enterprises,” the minister said.
READ ALSO:FG Gives Overstaying Foreigners Ultimatum To Regularise Visa
On her part, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, described the inauguration as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s education and innovation history.
“For too long, research in our tertiary institutions has been reduced to tools for promotion rather than solutions for development. This must change,” she said.
In his response, the Committee Chairman, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, described the RICC as “a matter of national urgency”, noting that Nigeria’s research investment as a percentage of GDP is among the lowest when compared to peer nations.
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