Newly sworn-in Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, assumed office with a declaration that he has not come to Abuja to fly any party’s flag.
At his maiden news conference, the minister, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was reacting to questions about whether he would fly the national flag and that of his party or that of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
“Why should anyone be bothered about what party flag I will be flying? Okay, bring PDP flag, I will fly it, bring the Labour Party flag, I will fly it.
“The FCT is in this state and you think the people are bothered about the party flag I fly? I will fly the Nigerian flag and ensure the FCT returns to the dreams of the founding fathers.
“We will bring FCT back to where it ought to be. So many people have complained that this is not the FCT of the founding fathers.
“We must tackle issue of security. FCT should be where people come for holidays.”
Wike, who spoke at length on his mandate, also pledged to restore the city’s master plan, adding that land allottees who have been given Certificates of Occupancy but failed to develop would also lose their lands to give way to those ready to build.
“If you know you have built where you are not supposed to build, it will go down,” he said.
He also reeled out a 10-point agenda with emphasis on security, city sanitation, preservation of the Abuja master plan, infrastructure development, restoration of green areas, removal of shanties, plugging revenue leakages, ground rents payment, among others.
He warned that the administration under his leadership will not take excuses from security agencies as they will provided with the required tools to work as issue of security is germane.
On the landscape of the city, Wike said; “Abuja has turned into a slum city. Sanitation is bad with refuse everywhere. We cannot allow that. We will look at issues of waste disposal.
“If you build on a green area, sorry, it will go down. For 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 safe haven for criminals will be reclaimed by the government and put to good use.
“Land racketeering days are over. Those who refuse to develop turning to land speculators will lose their lands.
“All these are our short-term deliverables so as to bring back people’s confidence in Government.”
The minister also added that roadside trading, illegal motor parks and bus stops would no longer be tolerated, adding that they constitute part of the security challenge in the FCT.
