Wike vows to give Abuja a new look as minister

Former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday, vowed to effect some structural reforms in the FCT.

Wike who stated this at a news conference in Abuja, said he will demolish all illegal buildings and structures in the FCT as part of efforts to restore the Abuja Master Plan and reposition it among the best cities in the world through the implementation of some short, medium, and long-term plans which he announced during the press conference.

The minister said: “It is not going to be business as usual. Those distorting Abuja Master Plan: if you build where you are not supposed to, the building will go down.

“If you build on a green area, sorry, it will go down. Those who were allocated land and refused to develop them, we will revoke such lands and re-allocate them to those who are ready to develop them.

“Those who don’t pay ground rent, we will not notify them to do so, but I will not be tired of signing revocation notices.

“Uncompleted buildings that have become a haven for criminals will be reclaimed by the government and put them to good use.”

The minister, who was accompanied to the address by Minister of State, FCT, Mariya Mahmoud and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Adesola Olusade, equally frowned at those who indiscriminately operate markets and motor parks by the roadside as well as people selling goods and wares under the umbrella by roadside, stating that such practices would no longer be tolerated.

The new sheriff blamed such practices for some security breaches in the FCT.

He said, “If you have a brother, sister, or uncle involved in any of these, please tell him that the time is up. The goal is to sanitise Abuja and make it safe for everyone,” he said.

He also said efforts would be made to strengthen waste management and restore all traffic lights to keep the city clean.

He added that motorcycle and tricycle operators would be banned from the city and put an end to open grazing within the capital city.

“We will consult with stakeholders, the natives, and herdsmen to address some of these problems, including open grazing.

“We will provide alternatives to reduce the suffering of the people, particularly those without private vehicles.

“We will bring back mass transit to improve access to public transportation, and therefore, the person in charge of transportation must keep his record clean,” he said.

While emphasizing the government’s planned focus on infrastructural development, taking one project at a time to restore the city to its glory, the minister said that development would also be extended to the six Area Councils as part of strategies to decongest the city.

He also said that all revenue leakages would be blocked to mobilise the needed resources for infrastructural development in the FCT.

Mr Wike also addressed the issue of security in the state, announcing the government’s plan and strategy to work with all security agencies to put an end to all security threats.

While noting that the FCT should e the safest city in Nigeria, Mr Wike said the government would provide security agencies with the necessary told and logistics to facility the delivery of their services to the state.

He promised to carry everyone along in the process of leading the state while assuring the natives that they wild hence be considered in political appointments and solicited the support of all stakeholders, including the media, to restore the confidence of the people in President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s drive to give people hope.

“We will provide security agencies with the necessary tools and logistics, and after that, we will not want to hear any excuses. What we want to see is results,” he said.

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