Wike directs demolition of Abuja community encroaching on technology village

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has directed the Department of Development Control to remove all illegal settlers encroaching the Abuja Science and Technological Village in Chika Aleita village. Our correspondent reports that the minister, along with his counterpart in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Uche Godfrey Nnaji, who inspected the tech village on Monday, […]

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has directed the Department of Development Control to remove all illegal settlers encroaching the Abuja Science and Technological Village in Chika Aleita village.

Our correspondent reports that the minister, along with his counterpart in the Ministry of Science and Technology, Uche Godfrey Nnaji, who inspected the tech village on Monday, was shocked by the activities of settlers in the village, hence the directive to Development Control.

Wike regretted that the fast encroachment was aided by the inability of the past administration to take action and stop individuals building illegally in the village despite the payment of compensation.

The minister assured that his administration would demonstrate a political will by stopping the illegal settlers.

He told the science and tech minister that the money expended in providing infrastructure in the village would not be a waste.

The minister also told journalists that he thought activities were going on in the village and directed the ministry to bring details for erecting an office in the village instead of staying in a rented building.

He added that their presence in the village would drive more investors to the science and technology incubation village.

Earlier, Mr Nnaji told Wike that leaving illegal settlers that had encroached the buffer of the village was constituting a big risk and losses to the country’s investment drive at the village that was a replica of the London Technology Village, where the government of Great Britain was able to generate £6bn in six years.

Our correspondent reports that the Abuja Technology Village was created by the federal government as a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and is expected to incubate science and technology.