By Charles Olewezi
The residents of CRD Layout in Lugbe, Abuja have commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Barr Nyesom Wike over what they described as his unusual development strides in the territory, especially in areas of infrastructural, health, education and human capital development in Abuja, since assuming duty as the Minister of the nation’s seat of power.
The residents, who spoke through Mr Adeniyi Balogun during an interview with journalists at Lugbe, noted in particular the massive transformation of FCT especially in the area of road infrastructure, where virtually all the major roads that were hitherto bad had been reconstructed and given a new lease of life.
”Not only the roads that are benefiting from the Minister’s magic touch, the hospitals, schools, drinking water and human capital development are also at the forefront of receiving attention from this wonderful Minister that God has blessed the Abuja with.”
The residents while praising Wike for a work well-done, also solicited for his intervention on the massive encroachment being witnessed currently at CRD Layout in Lugbe, where a developer, Mr Paul Odili and company Paulo Homes are involved in encroachment and land grabbing in CRD Layout, additing that Paulo Homes has continued to encroach on the CRD land by building houses in the layout, and using thugs to intimidate residents and stakeholders in conjunction with Riverpack police personnel in Lugbe, despite the case being in a court of competent jurisdiction.
The residents, through Balogun, noted that in the past, the FCDA had written and cautioned Paulo Homes for encroachment on different four layouts including CRD Layout. But regretted that Paulo Homes did not heed to the caution by the FCDA, and still made another illegal encroachment attempt within CRD Layout.
”The Paulo Homes refused to listen to the caution of FCDA. It’s important to inform the Minister for FCT that Riverpark Estate and Paulo Homes are the only Estates in Abuja that have no measured land.
The residents alleged that Paulo Home, last week, came inside CRD Layout with their thugs but the Police in Riverplate police station claimed that they were on the site to protect the illegal thugs and labourers grabbing the community land.
The residents pleaded with the Minister, to as a matter of urgency, to order for the arrest of the owner of Paulo Homes, Odili, for his continuous disobedience to court order, and equally revoke all the land spaces so far encroached upon by Paulo Homes in CRD layout in Lugbe area of Abuja.
”Our plea to Wike is to intervene in this protracted land grabbing by Paulo Homes on our layout by revoking the ones the estate company had so far taken from CRD layout. The minster should also order for the arrest of the man behind the Paulo Homes, Mr Paul Odili, who is not obeying the directives of FCDA on the layout,” they said.