Claims that some residents of the Gishiri community were offered as little as N72,000 in compensation for their houses that were demolished have led to the threat of sacking by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of the Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Richard Dauda.
This whole incident, according to Vanguard, started because the Katampe District Arterial Road N16 is being built through Gishiri. Concerns about compensation and relocation for 455 impacted households have prevented the project from moving further. On Monday, during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, Wike voiced his anger over the incident and cautioned the head of the FCDA against engaging in any fraudulent activities.
Just hand over the cash, just the amount I gave the green light for. It’s overwhelming me. “You will regret it if I find out you’re involved in any deal,” Wike said. Not ethnicity or origin, but having valid documentation is the determining factor in compensation. Your land should be compensated if a road is cutting through it.
According to Gishiri youth leader Umaru Godwin, Dauda disregarded the minister’s directives over the move. He claimed the FCDA had suggested an impassable swamp as a relocation site instead of a more acceptable location. According to Princess Juliet Jonah, another local, the impacted people were furious because the compensation amount was only N72,000 per building.