The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced that his Administration will allocate N825.8 million in compensation for the construction of a second runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
During a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister confirmed that the compensation will be paid through the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to address the needs of the Jiwa community and other stakeholders affected by the project.
Wike also revealed that, as an incentive, twelve individuals from the community will be employed by the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and its agencies, while ten will be employed by the FCT Administration.
In addition, the government will construct Tuga Madaki bridge and a five-kilometer road, connecting the bridge to the community, in order to facilitate easy movement for the inhabitants.
The Minister explained that the project will be included in the 2024 budget of the FCT Administration.
Furthermore, Wike assured that the FCT Administration will establish a modern healthcare facility to provide quality healthcare services for the community.
To formalize the agreement, an undertaking and an agreement between the government and the community will be signed. The signatories will include the permanent secretaries of the FCTA and Ministry of Aviation, the Chief of Jiwa, the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Council, and the Commissioner of the Public Complaint Commission.
“If that is done today, and tomorrow or next tomorrow the money is paid to them, contractors will no longer delay. They have to move to the site immediately and commence work.
“So, the second runway has come to stay,” he emphasized.
The Minister expressed his appreciation to the Chief of Jiwa, Alhaji Isa Idris, for mobilizing his community to attend the meeting and resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile, Barr. Festus Keyamo, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, acknowledged that the project had been delayed due to the compensation issue.
Earlier today, I met my counterparts in the FCT and Foreign Affairs Ministries to jointly resolve issues involving our Ministries.
The first is to jointly work with the FCT Ministry to resolve the issue of the FCT indigenes who need to be compensated and relocated before the… pic.twitter.com/1uNd7o5smv
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) August 24, 2023
The Permanent Secretary of the FCTA, Mr. Olusade Adesola, emphasized the need for support from all stakeholders to ensure the timely completion of the project.
Adesola commended Wike for his intervention in resolving the issue promptly.
Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, confirmed that the Federal Executive Council approved the project in March 2022.
Meribole noted that the project was awarded to four contractors, with CCECC Nigeria Limited serving as the primary contractor. However, the project was put on hold due to the compensation disagreement.
Prior to this, the Chief of Jiwa stated that the Ministry of Aviation had initially set the compensation at N2.5 million per hectare for the 12,000 hectares allocated for the project.
However, the amount was later revised to N700,000 per hectare when the FCTA assumed responsibility for determining the compensation.
He added that the community approached the Public Complaint Commission to resolve the issue amicably.
The community leader expressed concern that the offered rate of N700,000 per hectare would not be sufficient for affected individuals to procure alternative land.
