The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has taken ownership of an incident that occurred on Tuesday at a disputed site in Gaduwa District, involving the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike and a naval officer.
A video showing the FCT Minister being prevented from accessing a property linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd,), has gone viral.
Director at the FCTA Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima expressed regret over the incident and provided a detailed account of events.
According to Galadima, on 17 October officials from the Department of Development Control noticed unauthorised development in the Gaduwa District area.
When they approached the site to investigate, they were met with resistance and threats from Nigerian Navy personnel.
Galadima stated that the matter was reported to him, and he intervened by contacting a colleague and naval officer to help resolve the situation.
The officers on site claimed that their approvals were with their lawyers and engineers, but only a letter of intent issued in 2007 by the Department of Parks and Recreation was provided, which is not a formal approval.
Galadima issued a formal apology for involving the Minister in the matter and explained that the FCTA is committed to upholding the law and ensuring that all developments are properly approved and compliant with regulations.
‘We came back on Monday to the same site. I met the officer, Navy Lieutenant Yarima, and I appealed to him, please, if you have this approval, show it to us, because what was sent to us is not an approval, it’s just a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
‘So, while this discussion was going on, the lawyer came. And the lawyer said: “No. The next solution is the Department of Development Control”.
‘I said, as a lawyer, :there is a clear difference between submission and approval, and you know it is illegal within the prohibitions of the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992 to commence development in the Federal Capital Territory without approval.
‘He said he is aware, but the solution is under process. I said, then this development is illegal’.
Galadima said that he sent a distress call to the Minister due to the presence of armed men on site, which led to the public confrontation.
He then apologised to the Minister and to Nigerians for the tense situation, while emphasing that the development was unauthorised.
‘I want to sincerely apologise to the Honorable Minister for dragging him into this situation on that fateful Tuesday.
‘On that fateful Tuesday, when we were there to enforce the directive of the Honorable Minister, we noticed the impending danger because armed men were strategically positioned, ready to shoot.
‘And seeing this, I sent a distress call to the Honorable Minister to come to the site for an on-the-spot assessment.
And on getting there, that ugly incident happened, which I’m really sorry to the Honorable Minister, I apologize to the Honorable Minister, indeed to all Nigerians for what happened’.
The director, however, stressed that the enforcement was consistent with the laws governing urban development and land use in the FCT, including the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992.
Providing further context on the legal status of the land and why the development could not proceed, the the Director of Lands Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze maintained that the claimants had no statutory title to the property.
He explained that they were relying on an 18-year-old letter of intent from the Department of Parks and Recreation, which merely allowed them to manage and operate a designated park site, but did not confer any legal right of occupancy or approval to build.
‘The claimants have relied on a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation in 2007, 18 years ago, to develop, manage and operate a designated park site.
‘Letter of intent, not a statutory right of occupancy. I wish to make it clear that in the FCT, the only thing that gives you title to land is the statutory right of occupancy. A letter of intent is not a title.
‘Since having not submitted a detailed technical proposal, no lease agreement was given to him. He did not develop and complete development on the site within one year as he didn’t build anything by 2008’, he said.
Nwankwoeze further stated that the letter of intent carried strict conditions, including submission of a detailed technical proposal within 21 days and completion of development within a year—none of which were met by the claimants.
He explained: ‘All they did was, after all of those papers were withdrawn, they moved into those sites and started building illegally. Beyond not having title, in Abuja, you cannot build anything without approval of the plans you submitted.
‘Because the Department of Development Control will look at your design proposal and certify and ascertain that what you propose to develop is in line with the dictates of the master plan’.
The officials reiterated that their interventions were necessary to uphold the rule of law and proper urban planning, while also acknowledging the disruption caused to the Minister and the public perception of the incident.
