Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike has shed light on why he went to a disputed land in the Gaduwa District of Abuja, where a development project was ongoing.
His attempt to access the land owned by a former Chief of Naval Staff(CNS), Vice-Admiral Awwal Gambo, led to a fiasco between him and a Naval officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yerima.
The minister told reporters before the FCT Executive Council meeting yesterday that he acted because ‘’officials (of the ministry) at the level of directors’’ were beaten up.
“How can I sit as a minister when government officials are being attacked and beaten up, officials at the level of directors? And I’ll just sit in my office doing what?” he asked.
As the meeting progressed, bulldozers allegedly deployed to halt work on the 2.5-acre disputed land were seen in a video being trucked out.
Wike accused Vice-Admiral Gambo of ‘’impunity’’ and Navy Lt. Yerima of calling police officers who accompanied him to the scene of the altercation as “bloody police.”
He said: “Nobody talks like that.. A security man said, ‘Bloody police! Who are these bloody police that will talk to you?’ You say you’re a commissioned officer, to God be the glory, but it is these same government officials you’re beating — the ones who made you what you are.
“You are told to obey legal orders, illegal orders. So, if, because you are a security aide, say, your superior ordered you to shoot at someone, you think you will not be charged with murder, because your superior gave you the order?
“People have problems. We have tried to resolve them, but don’t use intimidation, don’t try to weaken the government. You cannot weaken the government. Because when we allow this now, others will follow suit. And then they will say, when it happened to this and that, what did you do?’’
Stressing that he stated that he has utmost respect for the military, the minister said the FCTA had in the past engaged the Armed Forces hierarchy on land disputes that were resolved amicably.
He said: “Whenever there is a matter that concerns the military, I know who to talk to: the Chief of Defence Staff, the Service Chiefs or even the President. We resolve issues institutionally, not through confrontation.
“I have respect for the military, and I’ll continue to respect them. I know what the institution stands for. I’m not a fool; I went to school. So anyone trying to suggest ‘’I have problems with them is wrong. I have no problem with the military, and I never will. Why would I have issues with the government? But this is a private matter.
“But in this case(the disputed Real Admiral Gambo land), it had to do with a private individual. So how many people would I run to? If you have a problem with us, will I run to the President?’’
He recalled that when the Police had a similar issue, he personally visited the site where buildings were being constructed under the power line, and the Inspector-General of Police ensured the stoppage of the construction.
The minister wondered why the former CNS failed to reach out to him. He recalled that some eminent Nigerians who once occupied topmost positions in the military had shown humility by contacting him when they had land issues in the FCT.
He added: “Many influential Nigerians have had similar land issues. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former head of state and president, will simply call me. He’ll say, ‘Minister, I have a problem on this land, can you help?’ and I’ll solve it.
“That is a former Head of State, a former president, who has the courtesy to call the minister. General T.Y. Danjuma will do the same. They never sent soldiers to attack anybody. They just call.”
Wike, however, said the Rear-Admiral Gambo land issue had been blown out of proportion by people bent on portraying him as being at loggerheads with the military.
He faulted media reports that suggested his comments or actions were targeted at security agencies.
“Report us accurately. Don’t twist facts or take statements out of context,” he said.
Wike, who said his current actions were consistent with his belief in lawful governance, added that those accusing him of high-handedness misunderstand his resolve to do what is right.
Admitting that he had by his actions “ wounded people politically,’’ he said: I have no regret about it.
“I will continue to wound them where necessary. Yes, people are not happy over it. So, when things happen like this, you see all manner of things people will say.’’
Warning that the FCT will not tolerate any attempt to violate land use regulations or obstruct government officials from performing their lawful duties, Wike advised Nigerians to always obey the law.
He said those who obtained land for agricultural purposes but later converted it to residential estates or commercial ventures without approval would be made to face the law.
“Government cannot function in a lawless society. If we allow one person to violate the rules because of who he is, others will follow. That is how impunity begins. We must learn to obey the law irrespective of who is involved”, he said.
The minister reaffirmed his commitment to President Bola Tinubu’s vision of restoring order and sanity to the nation’s capital, promising that enforcement against illegal developments, land grabbing and violations of the Abuja master plan would continue without compromise.
“As long as I remain FCT Minister, the law will take its course. Abuja must reflect the image of Nigeria – disciplined, planned and lawful.
“No country, no matter how hard you work, if you allow impunity, you allow lawlessness to continue to prevail, that country will never, never, never grow. Even amongst government officials, much less private individuals.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
