Gishiri demolition: Wike directs FCDA to allocate new land to victims

BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike has directed the officials of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to allocate a new land to residents of Gishiri village whose houses were demolished to give way for the construction of Arterial road N16 in Kàtampe District of Abuja.

In a meeting with stakeholders from Gishiri village recently, the minister has expressed satisfaction with the reports as presented by officials of FCDA and Gishiri victims, and promised to visit the area for assessment.

Addressing the affected persons on Wednesday at the community, Wike also asked the director, Department of Resettlements and Compensation, Nasiru Suleiman, to pay compensation to the affected persons within one-week.

He called on those whose buildings were pulled down by the road project to accept the monetary part of the compensation before the land.

“If you don’t take the money, I’ll not give you people the land again. Go and collect the money. So as you take the land, you start developing it, if I hear that you did not take it, I would not also give you the land and you would be the one that’ will suffer it”

Wike had earlier said the initial compensation budget of N655m was increased to N1.3bn due to the economic situation in the country.

He clarified that the compensation rates were determined by government valuation standards and assured that due process should be followed to ensure fairness and transparency.

The victims claimed that they were given an area covered by water which they said would not be good for habitation, insisting that they should be given the land behind the Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Gishiri.