Wike orders illegal occupants of Abuja Tech village site to vacate

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has instructed people who are occupying the proposed Abuja Technology Village site along Airport Road to leave the area.

Wike issued this directive during his visit to the area in Abuja on Monday.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, accompanied Wike on their visit to the site.

Wike directed the Department of Development Control to issue an ultimatum to illegal occupants, stating that the indigenous community in the area had been compensated since 2015.

“I am not impressed with what I am seeing. We don’t lack the political will. If you don’t take action, people will not believe that anything is possible.

“I will call the Development Control Department and give them an ultimatum for these people to leave. They have been compensated since 2015.

“I urge those who settled here illegally to know that we will not hesitate to move them out. No amount of campaign will stop us from doing the right thing,” he said.

He advised the management of the Abuja Technology Village to take position of the space, fence the area and show some level of presence.

According to Wike, he asked Nnaji to come with him to the location so he could take over and look for opportunities to bring in investors.

He requested an estimate from the technology village management about the cost of building a suitable office on the property.

“You are in charge of this place, and you don’t even have an office here, at least to show presence and tell people that we are here.

“So, if an investor is coming now, he is coming to meet an empty land, and you are renting an office outside the village.

“Please, let us know what it will take to erect a befitting office, so you can leave that place that you said that you are renting, and if you calculate the amount of money you spent renting is a waste,” he said.

Earlier, Nnaji had raised concerns about the presence of illegal occupants on the site. He had mentioned that the construction of unauthorized buildings in the area could discourage potential investors who had shown interest in investing in the village.

He also revealed that an American company had expressed its intention to build a power plant that would generate 200 megawatts of electricity in the technology village.

“There are so many other companies that want to start right away, but as this encroachment continues, we have to stop it somewhere, and see how we can take over, either to compensate the owners or demolish them.

“We can’t have this kind of thing here. Our mission here is in the interest of the country, and it is in keeping with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” Nnaji said.