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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has assured property owners in the disputed River Park Estate that the FCT Administration has no intention of confiscating their properties.
He made this clear on Saturday, September 20, 2025, following a tour of the estate where illegal structures were recently demolished by the FCT Department of Development Control.
Addressing journalists, Wike emphasised that the administration’s goal is to ensure property owners adhere to proper procedures rather than taking their property.
“I got a petition from SIMS senior advocate, lawyer to a company called Jonah AD, which I came to know is a Ghanaian company, and that company had a lease agreement with the FCT Administration, more than 20 years ago.
Then from what we know, that company now had a power of attorney to a third party called Paulo Homes. Paulo Homes has no Business with the FCT. Let it be on record. Only the Ghanaian company has business with us,” he explained.
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He revealed the lease agreement had expired and that an agreement with the third party, Paulo Homes, violated lease terms. To protect Nigerians who may have unknowingly built homes there, the administration plans to issue new Certificates of Occupancy directly to these property owners.
“So, all these cries that they (FCTA) want to take their property is neither here nor there. That is not the intention of the FCTA,” Wike affirmed.
The Minister urged residents to verify the legitimacy of land sellers and warned against building on plots from unauthorized third parties. “We now said that since the lease has expired, no more development. What Paulo Homes did was to, overnight, start construction in order to tie the hands of the Administration, which, of course you know we will not succumb to such. So, we sent the Department of Development Control to come here and demolish every construction going on. And that we will continue to do,” he stated.
Wike advised residents not to be misled by misinformation and reassured them of the government’s commitment to fairness. “You have come here, you have seen for yourself… nobody is going to collect their property, but we are going to issue them new C of O. All those C of O given to them through Paulo Homes, we have already voided them. So, we will reissue them with new C of O. We are going to invite residents who own property here next week, so that we tell them what we intend to do. So, there is no cause for alarm.”
Prior to visiting River Park Estate, Wike inspected progress on the arterial road N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way).
