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Rights’ activist tackles Wike on land revocation

Property owners are accusing FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of seizing their property and allocating same to his cronies.

Some of the residents accused the FCT Administration of hurriedly publishing their plots in the newspapers and giving two weeks’ notice or the risk revocation.

One of them, a rights activist, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, alleged the revocation of the ownership of a property belonging to her late husband, Col. Paul Ogbebor (rtd), in Abuja, pleading with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the minister to order.

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According to her, the estate, which is located in the Life Camp area in FCT, is the property of Paulosa Nigeria Limited, a company owned by Col. Ogbebor, a civil war hero and one of the first-generation officers in the Nigerian Army.

Lori-Ogbebor said the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) had issued a notice to quit on November 22, 2024, and went ahead to reallocate the property on December 9.

She added that her findings at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) indicated that the estate was reallocated to a company that has a three-time member of the House of Representatives as director.

Lori-Ogbebor said a Certificate of Ownership was issued three weeks after the notice was issued to the management of the estate.

She said it was unjust to revoke the property, which was rightly acquired by her late husband, who fought for the unity of the country and whose company, Paulosa, was among the leading firms that constructed prominent infrastructure in the FCT.

According to her, “My husband went to Abuja and worked there. He wasn’t a land grabber. My husband was among those whose sweat contributed in building the Abuja we have today. He gave people hope to come to Abuja. He never collected any land. My husband got his land rightfully like any other Nigerian.

“Paulosa is a company that brought Italians, Lebanese to work in this country. And they are there to date. They were all given land certificates. Later, they were told to revalidate, which they did. After revalidation, they were told they were now free to apply permanently for this land.

“My dear husband constructed the sewage system in Abuja. My dear husband died during COVID-19 outbreak. He had children. The children paid N10 million to regularise. When they demanded receipt, FCT officials said they were not ready yet. That was during Mohammed Musa. El-Rufai came, it was the same thing. At some point, they said the area was not surveyed and that they needed to survey it. The children paid for the survey to the FCDA.

“Every time they would say the file is with the minister. When Wike came, on November 22, 2024, he sent a quit notice, the children were surprised. I couldn’t even imagine it. He followed it up with a demolition notice on the 9th. The occupants were asked to quit, that they are now staying there illegally.’’

“I don’t want my husband’s legacy to be destroyed. He served this country well. Whatever it is they want us to pay again, the children will pay it. It will be injustice to the memory of Col. Ogbebor if the estate is destroyed and given to another person. He didn’t bring any money back home. The only legacy he has that bears his name is this estate.

“The sad thing here is that the property was reallocated to a company with the name of a three-time House of Representatives member, who has ties with Wike as director. I went to CAC and I have the proof now. All I am asking is for the president to call Wike to order. This is our country.

“The revocation of lands in Abuja should be probed. Why would land be grabbed from those who laboured for it? Where was he when Abuja was a forest? Mr President whose name is being polluted should order the probe. Enough is enough. I have asked my lawyers to file a case in court on the matter. The land grabbing in Abuja won’t help this country.’’

Those alleging land grabbing should provide evidence of ownership

But reacting to the allegations, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has challenged those using social media to circulate falsehoods about their lands being grabbed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to provide genuine evidence that they owned such land.

Olayinka, who also cautioned self-appointed social media activists to be mindful of being used to promote false claims, said “The most reasonable thing for anyone to do is to find out from both sides before going public with any issue.”

Referring to a recent video being circulated on land located in Life Camp, particularly Plot No. 2241, Gwarimpa District, Cadastral Zone C02, Abuja, the FCT minister’s spokesman challenged those claiming ownership of the land to provide Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy granted by the FCTA.

Olayinka said; “A construction company, Paulosa Nigeria Limited occupied the land as a temporary office, under a Temporary Right of Occupancy arrangement granted in 1984 (40 years ago).

“For 36 years, the company occupied the land, built permanent structures on it and rented them out without any approval from the government.

“On November 18, 2020, after occupying the land for 36 years without approval, Paulosa Nigeria Limited applied to the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for the conversion of the Temporary Right of Occupancy to a Statutory Right of Occupancy.

“On February 1, 2023, approval was granted to Paulosa Nigeria Limited for a Statutory Right of Occupancy, subject to certain terms and conditions.

“Some of the terms and conditions are; payment of Ground Rent Per Square Meter Per Annum, which was N50K/m² from 2022 to 2023, amounting to N2,332,143; payment of Premium of N500/m², amounting to N11,660,715 and payment of Ground Rent from 1984 to 2021 (37 years), amounting to N43,144,645.

“However, for 20 months, Paulosa Nigeria Limited refused to comply with the terms and conditions for the approval.

“Consequent upon the failure of Paulosa Nigeria Limited to comply with the terms and conditions for approval granted for a Right of Occupancy on the said land, the approval was revoked on October 10, 2024, more than 20 months after it was given.

“From the above, it should be clear that Paulosa Nigeria Limited never at any time owned the land.

“For instance, if a student who was offered admission to a university, refused to pay the fees stipulated in the offer of admission, and fulfil other terms and conditions for the admission, can the student have any claim to the studentship of the university?”

While counseling those who are desirous of doing human rights activism to be mindful of being used to peddle falsehood, Olayinka said, “My advice to our social media emergency human rights advocates is that they should always endeavour to investigate claims by whoever that is seeking their service.

“For instance, if the person who took his time to do that video had taken a simple step of investigating further, he would have been well informed, such that he won’t be used to mislead the public.

“The other time, a certain character who went to school in the night to study Baseless Black-market Law, was on social media, ranting that the FCT minister grabbed someone’s land.

“If he had studied law properly, he would have taken the proper step of approaching relevant government agencies for information on the said land.

“Our online lawyer would have been properly schooled that when you get allocation for a recreation park, building a school and a church on the land is a clear contravention of the condition for which the land was allocated.”

 

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