The Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike has disclosed that the construction of roads have helped the administration stop land grabbing by the University of Abuja.
Wike alleged that the institution had claimed 11,000 hectares of land, of which he had retrieved 7,000.
Wike spoke at the inauguration of the Access Road to Giri District, constructed by Levant Construction Company, Limited.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has praised Wike’s infrastructural transformation of the Federal Capital Territory, describing the projects as “bridges of inclusion, signals of recognition, instruments of national unity.”
Tinubu, who was represented at the event, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said the minister had localised his Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that the project will open up the District, as well as the FCT.
“So today I stand before you, not only to commission a road, but also to express a deep and heartfelt appreciation to the FCT Minister, Barrister Enzenwo Nyesom Wike, a man whose quiet diligence and visionary leadership have continued to transform the landscape of the federal capital territory.
“Honourable Minister, the roads we commission here today in Giri District are more than access ways.
“They are bridges of inclusion, signals of recognition, instruments of national unity.
“They remind us that development must reach the outskirts just as it touches the surface.
“You have not only embraced the visions of my Administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, you have localised it, made it meaningful, and made it real.
“Your actions have brought quality and excellence to the dual states of communities long laid in the shadows.
“These newly constructed access roads are not just infrastructural achievements, but a statement of intent to open up Giri District and the FCT,” he said.
The President also stated that Wike’s leadership had brought progress to local communities in the FCT, adding that under his administration, “no community is too small, area too distant, citizen too insignificant, to benefit from the dividends of democracy.”
“And to the residents of Giri, I say may these roads lead you to greater opportunities.
“May they carry your children to school, farmers to markets, families to healthcare, and dreams to reality.
“As your President, I’m proud of what we celebrate here today, and even more committed to seeing more of such milestones replicated across the nation,” he added.
In his address, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, represented by the Secretary, Mohammed Hammajoda, said access to the new EFCC Academy within the Giri District had been a challenge, adding that with the construction of the road, the construction of the Academy can now progress.
“Upon my assumption of office as Executive Chairman, I prioritsed the development of these sites.
“However, the major challenge that confronted us was to assess the site.
“We were actually at a loss on how to navigate this challenge until the Honorable Minister of FCT, the man called Mr. Project, came to our rescue.
“He not only promised to construct the road, he delivered the road in record time.
“With this infrastructure, the development of this academy can now proceed. On completion, the EFCC Academy will be a center of excellence in financial crimes enforcement, training, and research.
A cyber crime research center will also be domiciled in the academy,” he said.
Olukoyede added that the road will not only provide vital access to the EFCC Academy, but will also “contribute to the training of officers who will sustain the momentum of the fight against corruption in Nigeria and boost the economic and social activities in this corridor.”
Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, thanked the President and the National Assembly for their support for the FCT Administration adding that he had directed further development of the district.
“This Giri District, of course, has to be developed like other districts. What we have done is now having created this access road, we have told the Executive Secretary of FCDA, and other relevant agencies to start working out how we are going to do the roads within the district. So, be assured that maybe next one year, it will be a different thing”, he said.
Wike also said the road construction helped tio stop land grabbing by the nearby University of Abuja, alleging that the institution has claimed 11,000 hectares of land, of which he had retrieved 7,000.
“This road has helped us to stop the land grabbing by the university.
“The university, on its own, grabbed 11,000 hectares. I said that would not happen. I said that would not happen.
“No document, nothing. That’s all you see there, fencing everywhere. And before you know it, they were going to sell our land.
“So, I’ve told the Director of Lands and the other relevant agencies to carve out 4,000 hectares and give it to the university.
“They are the ones who are going to protect it because we are going to provide the roads here.
“And that’s the situation. We cannot allow it at all,” Wike stated.
