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ENCROACHMENT INTO ABUJA TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE SITE: FCTA TO REMOVE ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS

…GOVT HAS VISION TO MAKE IT NIGERIA’S SILICON VALLEY- SCIENCE AND TECH MINISTER

1.     Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has said that the FCT Administration will take immediate action to remove illegal settlements encroaching into the Abuja Technology Village (ATV) in Pyakassa, along the Umar Musa Yar’Adua expressway, Abuja.

2.     Barr. Wike made this statement in Abuja on Monday when he paid an inspection visit to the Abuja Technology Village, in the company of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji.

3.     The FCT Minister who observed that the original inhabitants encroaching into the ATV have been compensated as far back as 2015, blamed the lack of perimeter fencing around the Technology Park for the continued encroachment.

4.     He said he would direct the Development Control Department of the FCTA, to give an ultimatum to the illegal settlements to leave the area, warning that no amount of campaign will stop the FCT Administration from doing what is right.

FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike (right) in a handshake with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji during the visit of both Ministers to the Abuja Technology Village on Monday

5.     According to the Minister, “If you don’t take action, people will not believe that anything is possible. I will call the development control and give them an ultimatum for these people to leave. They have been compensated since 2015”.

6.     “We must quickly see what we can do to relocate these people since they have been compensated. We are going to take immediate action. I can tell you that. I urge those who are settling here to know that we will not hesitate to move them out. No amount of campaign will stop us from doing the right thing”.

7.     The Minister who expressed surprise at the lack of activities at the technology village despite the provision of road infrastructure, said he invited the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology to inspect the project with him, to commence active preparation to attract investors into the technology village.

8.     He also assured that the government has the political will to develop the technology village and urged the Ag. Managing Director of ATV, Mr Isa Yusuf Shafeek to set up his office on the site to encourage investors.

Some of the buildings encroaching on the Abuja Technology Village site in Pyakassa, Abuja.

9.     He said, “I was thinking that there are a lot of activities going on here, not knowing that it’s just empty land. The roads have been provided and that ought to interest investors. It depends on what you have been doing since.

10. “But you don’t even have an office here to tell people that you are here. So, if an investor is coming, he is coming to meet an empty land and you are renting an office. You must find a way to erect an office where you know that this is where you come to work every day. That is what will bring people here.

11. “Let us know what it will take to erect a befitting office so that you will leave that place you are renting because if you calculate, the money you spent renting, you would have used that money to start doing something good”.

12. Speaking earlier, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, said the government has a vision to create a replica of the London Technology City as well as the Silicon Valley of the United States in the Abuja Technology Village.

13. He said the Abuja Technology Village will house a humongous infrastructure and technology in the next couple of years, adding that companies in America were already showing interest.

FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike (Middle), Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Innovation, Science and Tech Mrs Monilola Udoh and other stakeholders listening to the Ag MD Abuja Technology Village (ATV) Mr Isa Yusuf Shafeek (1st left), during the Ministers’ visit to the ATV on Monday.

14. According to the Minister, “Even as we speak, there are companies in America that came about a month ago and want to put in 200 megawatts of solar power here. They want to start right away and there are so many other companies that want to start right away.

15. “But as this encroachment continues, we have to stop it somewhere to see how we can take over, either compensate them or demolish it because we can’t have this kind of thing here”.

16. Also speaking, the Acting MD, Abuja Technology Village said people from the settlements around the technology village were causing environmental degradation with the dumping of refuse and mining of laterite stones inside the technology village and called for the immediate removal of the settlements.

17. He said, “The indigenous settlers have been compensated since around 2015. But because they don’t see any barrier, they keep coming back. This is just one. The other one is environmental degradation, the dumping of refuse. Some come to mine laterite stones”.

ANTHONY OGUNLEYE

DIRECTOR PRESS

(OFFICE OF THE MINISTER)

19/02/2024

FCTA/ODP/PR/497