Wike grants land titles to FCT chiefs, scraps statutory fees

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has presented land allocation documents to traditional rulers in the territory and approved a waiver of all statutory fees attached to the titles.

The development was disclosed in a statement by Lere Olayinka, Wike’s spokesperson, following a meeting between the minister and members of the FCT council of chiefs in Abuja on Friday.

According to the statement, the move was carried out on the directive of President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to recognise the rights of indigenous communities in the FCT.

“We cannot deny the fact that there are indigenous people who were here before the creation of the FCT. The president said we must extend a hand of fellowship to you. If those who make peace cannot be appreciated with land, who should be?” the statement read.

Wike noted that it would be unfair to require traditional rulers to pay statutory fees for lands they and their ancestors had occupied for generations, stressing the need to acknowledge their historical ties to the territory.

The minister also commended the traditional rulers for their role in ensuring a peaceful conduct of recent area council elections in the FCT, describing it as the most peaceful in the territory’s history. To further support their functions, Wike promised the provision of utility vehicles for the monarchs.

He also highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects in satellite towns, including the dualisation of the Airport-Kuje road, the Bwari-Zuba link road, and developments in Apo/Karshi, Basan Jiwa, and the Arab Road network, all scheduled for commissioning in June.

Adamu Yunusa, the Ona of Abaji and chairman of the FCT council of chiefs, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, pledging continued support for its policies and programmes.