Wike: FCTA Will Take Back Land Unused For Specific Years

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has made it clear—if you don’t develop the land you’re given on time, the FCTA will snatch it back. Simple as that.

Speaking on Thursday while hosting a delegation from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), led by its Executive Secretary, Hamid Bobboyi, Wike stressed that any institution or agency hoping to receive land must first strike a solid agreement with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through the Land Department. And, here’s the kicker—they’ll need to build within a set timeframe. No wiggle room.

This conversation cropped up after Bobboyi asked for a land allocation to build staff quarters in the FCT. Wike didn’t hold back—he had some choice words for institutions that get land, only to let it gather dust for years. When they don’t develop it, he said, it opens the door to shanties and criminal activities, which is a headache the FCTA can’t afford.

He laid it out plainly: any group wanting land has to promise, in black and white, that they’ll develop it within a specific period. Oh, and they’ll also need to prove they have the funds to actually make things happen. No empty promises allowed.

“What we have found out,” Wike said, “is that most institutions apply for land, you give them land—20 years, 15 years, no development—and then people go and build shanties, which of course attracts criminals to stay, and then it becomes a problem to us.”

He added, “When you begin to go there and say they should move, people will start saying, ‘Oh, people are suffering, the economy is very hard, it’s where they are trying to find what to eat.’ It becomes another problem for us.”

Wike emphasized that no land will be handed out unless there’s a proper agreement with the FCTA, spelling out the timeline and conditions for development. And if any institution fails to meet those conditions? Well, the land goes straight back to the FCTA…[CONTINUE READING HERE]>>