The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) revoked the allocation of Jabi Lake Park after the developer allegedly left the project undeveloped for about 20 years.
Speaking during a media chat in Abuja on Thursday, Wike said the decision is part of the FCTA’s ongoing efforts to reclaim abandoned public assets, enforce land regulations and stop the illegal conversion of parks and recreational areas into commercial properties.
According to the minister, the park, located around the popular Jabi Lake, had been allocated to a company identified as Suburban, but remained undeveloped for two decades.
Describing what he found during a visit to the site, Wike said the area had become overrun by shanties and illegal businesses.
“That place was given out 20 years ago… Shanties everywhere, people are selling food there. Look at the lake. Where in this world will you have such a place and you cannot develop it?” he said.
Wike explained that he immediately ordered the revocation of the land allocation, adding that the developer only claimed to have secured funding after learning that the property had been taken back.
“Within two or three minutes, calls started coming… ‘Now they have gotten the finance.’ I said, okay, come and let me see the finance,” he stated.
The minister warned that the FCTA will now enforce strict development deadlines for all land allocations, stressing that any undeveloped property would automatically revert to the government.
He also disclosed that the administration has begun reclaiming parks and gardens across Abuja after discovering that many had been illegally converted into hotels, residential buildings, restaurants and other commercial businesses.
According to Wike, the FCTA is currently handling over 2,000 land-related disputes, with about 1,500 involving parks and gardens, which he blamed on irregular allocations and collusion between some officials and private individuals.
He insisted that all future allocations would strictly follow due process and require ministerial approval, adding that the reforms are aimed at ensuring Abuja’s public land is properly developed and used for the benefit of residents.
Source: Media Chat with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike
