PHCN is chasing us without compensation, widow cries
She is wife of the late Rev Ukpemi Utete who founded the Church. She succeeded her husband and now, she is the president of the ministry. The Pentecostal Power Revival Ministry it built on Plot A124 Karu village Extension Layout, opposite CBN Executive Quarters, along Karu-Jikwoyi Road, Abuja. The plot covered by Right of Occupancy […]
She is wife of the late Rev Ukpemi Utete who founded the Church. She succeeded her husband and now, she is the president of the ministry.
The Pentecostal Power Revival Ministry it built on Plot A124 Karu village Extension Layout, opposite CBN Executive Quarters, along Karu-Jikwoyi Road, Abuja.
The plot covered by Right of Occupancy No. MFCT/AMAC/RR.A124, had its letter of approval issued on 11 June 1998 by Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). Lugard Egbegbe, who was then Zonal Manager in the Department of Lands and Survey signed on behalf of the Minister of the FCT.
The allottee built its church on this plot. But PHCN had a project to execute on this land. It took its workers to site and made installations for a 132kva transmission project. The project is now completed, only awaiting commissioning.
The crux of the matter
On May 27, 2008, PHCN wrote the church, requesting a meeting to discuss the “modalities for resolving the issue of right of way and any other space that may be required for sustainable execution of federal government project free of any hindrance.” This meeting did not hold as, according to Mrs Tete, PHCN did not show up.
The PHCN, in conjunction with FCDA, Development Control, and police, demolished the church as well as its adjoining structures. But the biggest worry, according to Mrs Tete is, “the project is power so once it is commissioned, there will be no human activity around.” And PHCN is gearing up towards this commissioning. It is because of this that Mrs Tete wants a quick compensation so she can relocate her church. She said she has no means of acquiring new land.
“We’re legal occupants of the land as it was properly allocated to us in 1998 by the FCT Administration and all dues and statutory fees for such allocation have been duly paid,” the woman explained. She said she had written the minister of power, Prof Barth Nnaji last month asking him to compel the relevant authorities to compensate her but she is yet to hear any response.
The church and PHCN had co-existed on that piece of land for many years. Now PHCN says the church must leave.
In their bid to stop PHCN from evicting them, the church went to court. Court 16, High Court of Justice Abuja is hearing the matter.
Mrs Tete explained, “Initially, they told us they would take part of the land. But later, they came to say they had got papers from FCDA allotting them all the land.
“Now they want to take the whole land. When this problem started, we took it up but PHCN begged us, saying the matter would be resolved amicably. We trusted them. Now that they have finished their work, they want to send us away. They have started fencing the place, fencing us inside. What happens to the tomb of my husband? Do they want to pull down this and bury the tomb?
“When doing road construction—even in rural areas, government pays compensation to farmers who have no allocation papers, talk more or less of one with allocation papers. I know the World Bank cannot undertake this project without regard for us who are genuine occupants here.
“They [PHCN workers] came and disconnected us even though we had paid up-front. PHCN removed its cables. We have been running on generators for three years. All this they did to punish us.
“The pulling down of this structure badly affects us. Last week, we had combined service here and the sun beat the congregation. And when there is a storm, the situation is pathetic.
“Psychologically, it is impacting on the congregation. They don’t feel good seeing the church pulled down. There is anxiety—many ask if we will truly win the battle.”
Efforts to hear from PHCN failed. When our reporter went to the PHCN headquarters in Maitama Abuja, he was referred to PHCN zonal office in Zone 4 Abuja. There all officials declined speaking on the matter saying it is headquarters that should explain.
At the Development Control office, the director was not present. But a staff told us in confidence that “AMAC has put many people in trouble.” According to her, those who bought plots through AMAC had crisis with FCT administration because “when [Mal. Nasir] el-Rufai became minister of FCT, he stopped AMAC from selling land to the public.”
He said Development Control has no business in the dispute because the office’s mission is to demolish. “Once there’s approval from the minister, we move our bulldozers and start action. The church should go to AMAC and let AMAC take its case to the FCT Administration’s Department of Resettlement and Compensation,” the Development Control staff advised.