FCTA Demolishes Nuwalege Settlement, Recovers Land For NAF

In a bid to continue the presidential fleet project, the FCT Administration has demolished over 200 structures at the Nuwalege community, along the Airport Road in Abuja.

The structures were demolished to give way for the recovery of the land belonging to the Nigerian Air Force.

The Director of, the FCT Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima explained that the structures had to be removed to enable the expansion of the presidential fleet area.

Galadima said the enforcement followed the Chief of Air Staff’s request in October 2023 that the illegal squatters be removed from the land.

According to Galadima, the none indigenous residents of the Nigeria Air Force land were given notice to vacate the area about two months ago.

“When the Air Force approached us, we told them about the FCTA policy on relocation and resettlement of indigenous communities. However, other non-indigenes are to be moved out of the location so that the Air Force can take over their land.

“There was serious sensitisation and campaign as regards the exercise. We went there, we marked the structures to be removed and we informed them and gave them ample time until after the yuletide so they could remove their valuables…the structures belonging to indigenes were however left out because statutorily they had to be relocated and compensated, that’s why we are not touching their properties.”Galadima said.

The Director, however, asked the Air Force not to commence any work without obtaining approval from the Department of Development Control, insisting that they would have to submit their development proposals for vetting and approval before they could commence any development on the reclaimed land.

He however said further investigation on resettlement and Compensation of the indigenous people would be made by FCTA.

“We are going to conduct further investigation by engaging the FCT Department of Resettlement and Compensation as well as the Nigerian Air Force and find out if compensation has been paid to whom and when.

“And then, we will discuss with our colleagues at the Department of Resettlement and Compensation whether, at any point in time, there was any compensation that ascertained their claims as regards to the number of structures and people that are going to be affected by this expansion project.”

Some of the residents who were seen moving their property out of the area said most of them were non-indigenes who bought plots from indigenes with the assurance that government had ceded the village to the indigenes.

One of the affected persons, James Ugali, said the indigenes had not bothered to occupy the community. “The ones who lived here with us are less than one percent, while the non-indigenes occupied most of the community”.

By Remi Johnson, Edited By Grace Namiji