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Land Racketeering: Report culprits to EFCC, ICPC, CSOs tell Wike

Coalition of Civil Society Organisation, has tasked the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Nyesom Wike, to report Directors involved in land racketeering in the FCT to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), for prosecution.

This was contained in a joint statement issued by the Coalition Chairman and Coordinator, Center for Gender and Youth Civic Education and Rights in Africa, Friday Maduka, and Coordinator, Northern Unity Front, Ibrahim Lawal.

The CSOs lamented that most landowners have lost their property because of the atrocities of some dubious Directors in the FCTA.

โ€œWe want to use this medium to call on the Honourable Minister of FCT to as matter of urgency to immediately collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to fish out those directors involve in land racketeering, Ministerial approval forgery and equally sanction them accordingly and ensure that all perpetrators are brought to book which will serve as a deterrent to others.

โ€œAs such Directors responsible or collaborating in land racketeering, ministerial approval forgery should be suspended with immediate effect. They are not worthy to serve in the renewed hope project,โ€ the statement read.

Maduka commended the infrastructural stride of Wike and warned all detractors of the minister, and those bent on distracting him from delivering good governance for the residents of the FCT, โ€œto desist from such adventure and support the good intentions of the Minister instead.โ€

He said โ€œit is a natural reality that any good tree that bears much fruits will consequentially attract stones, hence, we enjoin Barr. Nyesom Wike to maintain sound judgements and keep his eyes on the ball of transformation of the FCT. We pray all Ministers will follow this trend.โ€

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Maduka added that โ€œthe Coalition has taken time to catalogue some of the achievements of Barr. Nyesom Wike so far as Minister of the FCT and has come to the conclusion that the name โ€œMr Projectโ€ given to him as Governor is instilled in his nature and character, and not political in any way.

โ€œThe Achievement List includes but not limited to the rehabilitation of about 135 Intra City Roads, with only few remaining to be completed in couple of weeks;

โ€œAcceleration of work on some critical infrastructural and signature projects such as, the Outer Southern Expressway from the Villa roundabout, Inner Southern Expressway from Outer Southern Expressway to Southern Parkway, the Vice Presidentโ€™s Residence amongst others;

โ€œConstruction of over 40KM roads in the 6 Area Councils of the FCT; Completion of the Southern Parkway, Roads B6 and B12 in the Central Business District and the Wuye interchange, amongst others;

โ€œExemption of FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which has removed unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks and enabled the unhindered application of Internally Generated Revenues to development of the Nationโ€™s Capital.โ€