The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has shared how he revoked the certificate of occupancy (C of O) for some plots of land allocated to the German construction company, Julius Berger, in the Katampe District of Abuja.
Wike recounted the incident during the official launch of the Design and Construction of 40 Judges’ Quarters in Abuja on Monday. The event was attended by key judicial figures, including Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.
Wike noted that 70% of the project funds had already been released after its approval by the Federal Executive Council. Out of the 40 housing units being built, 20 will be allocated to the FCT High Court, 10 to the Federal High Court, and 10 to the Court of Appeal.
Addressing the Chief Justice, Wike explained how the land for the judges’ quarters was secured. “My Lord, while searching for available land to build, I came across an empty plot with a large Julius Berger sign. I asked the director of lands who owned it, and he confirmed it had been allocated to Julius Berger about 15 to 20 years ago but had remained undeveloped. I didn’t raise the issue immediately.”
He continued by explaining how he handled the situation: “I invited the Managing Director of Julius Berger for dinner, and we didn’t discuss the land at all. The next day, he received the revocation letter, citing public interest. He called me, surprised, and said, ‘But we had dinner!’ I replied, ‘Yes, we had dinner, but the land was not part of our discussion.’”
Wike defended the decision, stating, “How can the government allocate land for over 20 years without development? Thankfully, it wasn’t developed, and now we have it for this important project.”