Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Yohana Dauda, of attempting to defraud victims of demolition at Gishiri village in Abuja.
Last week, about 455 residents of the community, both indigenes and non- indigenes, had their homes pulled down as a result of road construction.
Addressing some stakeholders when a delegation of Gishiri community leaders paid him visit, Wike expressed disappointment over the development.
Wike, who said he had approved N1.3 billion for compensation, said he heard that the ES, in collaboration with the Department of Compensation and Relocation, was offering the victims far below what he approved.
The minister warned him to retrace his steps immediately and pay the victims what he approved or get sacked.
Trouble started for the embattled ES when the youth leader of Gishiri community, Umaru Godwin, accused him of changing the minister’s instructions concerning relocation.
Godwin said that the ES, without recourse to the minister’s directives, had proposed a water-logged environment, where the victims of the demolition would not be able to build any structure.
The minister got more agitated when another community member, Princess Juliet Jonah, alleged that the victims were protesting because they were offered N72, 000 per building.
But the Executive Secretary, denied the allegation, saying he has not been involved in the matter.
The ES said he was neither in charge of resettlement or compensation nor was he in the department of land administration.
The same ES was last week summoned by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions for allegedly violating housing codes in the nation’s capital.
He, however, refused to honour the invitation and the Committee ordered the Inspector General of Police to bring him on the adjourned date.
The ES, Engr. Yohana Dauda, was appointed by Wike after the suspension of Egnr. Shehu Hadi.