The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has expressed grave concern over the state of the largely undeveloped land allocated to the University of Abuja which measures over 10,000 hectares in size.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, following an inspection of the access road to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Academy in Giri District, which is also within the university’s landed property, Barr. Wike stated that the continued non-development of the land by the university is unacceptable.
He said, “This tour has also opened our eyes as to the kind of land that the University of Abuja has acquired. It’s not acceptable. You can’t deny development, I don’t know where a university will go and take over 10,000 hectares of land; for what purpose. We’ve been to universities; we have gone round to schools. Grabbing of land is not the whole thing. What is important is its development.”.
He further questioned the rationale behind acquiring such a vast expanse of land for “futuristic purposes”, stating that infrastructure development is more crucial than merely possessing land.
The Minister argued that acquiring land for future purposes is not a valid justification for such a large expanse of land. He stressed that a university’s quality is determined by its infrastructure, not the size of its land holdings.
He said, “Before you know it, they will begin to lease it out to people. It doesn’t make sense. What makes a university is not the large expanse of land. What makes a university is the infrastructure quality. It’s not about land. You can have 20,000 hectares of land, but if the university does not have any infrastructure, what does it help?”
Barr. Wike reiterated the FCT Administration’s policy that land should be developed, and if not, it will be reallocated to those who intend to develop it. He said, “We must stop this idea of just acquiring land for acquiring sake. That is not the essence of it. If they give you land, you develop it. If you don’t develop it, government will take it back and give it to those who want to develop. That is our position.”
The Minister also noted the non-development of land allocated to the Nigerian Police in the same area, hoping that the new road development will encourage those allocated land to begin development.
Speaking on other key infrastructure projects he inspected, including the ongoing construction of the 15-kilometer Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) leading to Wassa, being executed by China Geo-engineering Corporation (CGC), the Minister expressed his satisfaction with the observed progress and the high standard of construction. He commended the contractor for their dedication and commitment to delivering quality infrastructure.
He also affirmed the FCT Administration’s commitment to delivering on promises and ensuring the timely completion of the projects for the upcoming second anniversary of the President.
He said, ” We are very happy with what we have seen and the quality of jobs that are being carried out. We believe, to the glory of God, that Mr. President will also be happy when he comes to inaugurate these projects.
“It is part of what we want to see that promises made are fulfilled or kept. It’s not good to just award a contract and then you abandon it and it becomes an abandoned project. This administration of Mr. President does not believe in that. Any contract given must be completed for people to use. So, we are very happy and we commend the contractors for the good job they are doing and we assure them that we will continue to partner with them for the development of Abuja”.
ANTHONY OGUNLEYE,
DIRECTOR OF PRESS,
FCT MINISTER’S OFFICE
