FCTA sued for allocating recreational park for filling station

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has been sued for its recent allocation of a green area meant for a recreational park in the Abuja Master Plan for the construction of a filling station. A firm, Jedidiah International Limited, in a suit: CV/1094/2021, joined Danu Investment Limited and the Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, […]

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has been sued for its recent allocation of a green area meant for a recreational park in the Abuja Master Plan for the construction of a filling station.

A firm, Jedidiah International Limited, in a suit: CV/1094/2021, joined Danu Investment Limited and the Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, before the FCT High Court.

The plaintiff is seeking an order of the court directing the minister and FCDA to adhere to the already drawn master plan and to protect the area designated as green areas in Abuja from being used for other purposes.

In an originating summons filed by its lawyer, Emmanuel Adedeji, the claimant is seeking a declaration that the allocation of the recreation park known as Park 1193, Cadastral Zone A01, Garki, Abuja, is in breach of Regulation 8 of the FCT Land Use Regulation, 2004, CAP L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, FCT Change of Land Use and Residential Density Regulations, 2007, and is therefore ultra vires.

The firm is also praying for an order directing the minister to revoke the Right of Occupancy granted to the first defendant (Danu Investment) dated June 25, 2009, in respect of the park. 

An administrative official to the claimant, Abdul Oshiogwe, in an affidavit in support of the originating summons, said Jedidiah International was granted a lease approval for the park in 2009 by the FCT minister and the FCDA after fulfilling all the conditions of lease approval.

The affidavit partly reads: “That the Department of Development Control gave the claimant a bill of N1,322,691.60 as settlement of building fees. The settlement of building plan fee is herein attached and marked Exhibit C.’’

The suit has been scheduled for hearing on January 25, 2022, before Justice Binta Mohammed of the FCT High Court, Apo.