How Wike Revoked Julius Berger Land After Dinner with MD

In a dramatic turn of events, Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has revealed how he revoked the title of an abandoned land allocated to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, just a day after having dinner with the company's Managing Director. The reclaimed land, which had been lying fallow for over 20 years, will now be used to build quarters for judges in Abuja.

Wike made this revelation on Monday during the official flag-off ceremony for the design and construction of the judges' quarters, a project approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in September. The quarters, located in Abuja's Kantampe district, will house judges from the FCT High Court, the Federal High Court, and the Court of Appeal. The project is expected to be completed within 15 months.

Explaining how the land was reclaimed, Wike said, "I was driving around looking for suitable land when I came across a big plot with a signpost that read 'Julius Berger'. When I found out the land had been allocated to the company 20 years ago with no development, I invited the MD of Julius Berger for dinner. We didn't talk about the land that evening. However, the next day, he received a revocation letter citing public interest."

According to Wike, it made no sense for a government to allocate land to companies that fail to develop it over two decades. "Thank God they didn't develop it, and now we can use it for a critical purpose-housing our judges," he added.

The land revocation has sparked discussion, with many commending Wike's decisive approach to reclaiming unutilized government resources. However, some industry observers have pointed out the tension it could create between the FCT administration and major corporate entities like Julius Berger.