The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has justified the revocation of land allocations previously granted to the Abuja Technology Village and the University of Abuja, stating that the decision was crucial to facilitate the development of the Abuja City Walk project, inspired by Dubai’s City Walk.
Speaking during his monthly media chat on Monday in Abuja, Wike accused the supposed investors behind the Abuja Technology Village of failing to honour their development commitments despite receiving infrastructure support from the FCT Administration over 20 years ago. Instead of meaningful construction, he said, the site had become a hub for land-grabbing and unauthorized commercial activities.
“The FCTA provided the infrastructure for more than 20 years, and nothing has been done. If you go there, they’ve rented out the place for other uses. NNPC tankers are parked there, and they’re collecting money. There’s nothing like Abuja Technology Village,” Wike stated.
He further disclosed that the revocation was necessary to make way for the Abuja City Walk project, for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed with private investors. He noted that the project draws inspiration from the iconic Dubai City Walk and aligns with the administration’s vision of delivering world-class infrastructure in the nation’s capital.
To tackle the issue of idle land allocations and speculative land ownership, Wike announced a new policy mandating that land must be developed within a stipulated timeframe or risk being repossessed by the FCTA.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the revoked land belonging to the University of Abuja, the minister said the land had remained undeveloped for years and emphasized that the remaining 4,000 hectares still allocated to the institution were sufficient. He also dismissed claims that the land was largely rocky and unusable.
He added that reallocated portions of the land are already being put to use, including for the development of the EFCC Academy.
In another development, Wike highlighted the early success of the newly renovated Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, which, just one month after reopening, has generated over ₦1.2 billion in revenue—far surpassing the ₦50 million annual revenue previously remitted under its former management.
