FCT: Wike Explains Decision to Build Judges’ Housing on Julius Berger Land

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), shared on Monday how he revoked the certificate of occupancy (C of O) for several plots of land allocated to Julius Berger in the Katampe District of Abuja.

Wike made these remarks during the official Flag-Off Ceremony for the Design and Construction of 40 Judges’ Quarters in the capital, where he addressed the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.

The former governor of Rivers State explained that he took action to revoke the land despite having recently dined with the managing director of Julius Berger. “My Lord, let me draw your attention to this land. When we were looking for space to build, I drove around and found this empty land,” he recounted. “I noticed the large sign: ‘Julius Berger.’ I didn’t say anything at first, so I asked the director of lands who owned it, and he told me it was allocated to Julius Berger about 15 to 20 years ago. I was surprised that nothing had been done with it.”

Wike continued, “I then invited the MD of Julius Berger for dinner, but we didn’t discuss the land. The following day, he came to my office only to find a revocation letter waiting for him as a matter of public interest. He called me, surprised, saying we had dinner together. I replied, ‘Yes, but we didn’t discuss the land.’”

He emphasized, “How can the government allocate land for over 20 years without any development? Thankfully, they did not develop it, and now we can put it to good use.”