Abuja – April 30, 2024 – Viewpoint Housing News.
President Bola Tinubu has been urged to investigate the demolition of many buildings in Abuja.
In an appeal over the weekend, Engineer Success Obioma—one of the city’s leading real estate developers and the CEO of three businesses—Praco International Ltd., Psalm 127 Ltd., and Peace Be Still Ltd.—called for President Bola Tinubu to intervene immediately regarding the demolition of his multibillion-naira property in Abuja.
Noting that he acquired, developed, and managed properties for his numerous clientele in the Federal Capital Territory, including well-known Nigerians and politicians, Obioma said the properties were developed in his endeavour to address the housing requirement of the masses.
The real estate developer claimed the authorities were tricked into demolishing several of his homes, taking all of his documentation and titles and having property valued at billions of naira destroyed. He claimed this was an unjustified persecution by those he perceived to be his adversaries. The engineer told journalists in Abuja about his hardship and how the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) had destroyed nearly N10 billion in his pursuit of his dream. According to Obioma, he spent more than two years behind bars fighting for justice regarding the unlawful demolition of his and his clients’ properties.
He equally lamented how authority of FCTA humiliated and frustrated him for over 20 years by seizing of title documents with destruction of multibillion naira property and even incarcerated him for more than two years and yet no hope in sight for a relief from unwarranted persecution by the authority. Obioma, who said he had secured reliefs through court judgment over the release of his title documents, said the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike should know that the restoration of his title documents followed due process and he should release the remaining seized documents or restore them. He said the committee set up by the FCTA as directed by the former president Olusegun Obasanjo cleared him of all allegations of possession of fake land documents as was being speculated. He said that for the 20 years the matter lasted, no one could produce one victim of his alleged illegal land deals to could be brought out to testify.
He said that all of FCTA’s department heads, directors, and management personnel were on the committee because they were searching for forged documents, “because it was rumoured by opponents of progress that I forge land documents to acquire lands.” I was able to demonstrate that I am a trustworthy businessman. “They could not produce a single victim of my illegal land deals to testify during the 20 years the matter lasted.”
He pushed the minister of the Federal Capital Territory to release the 2002 committee report and the documents that were taken from him so that everyone could see how phoney or authentic they were. The minister should also question the committee members who are still employed, he added, “to explain how I was vetted, how my activities were examined, and how the documents were checked and they were unable to determine that no ministerial approvals existed for the more than 200 plots they associated with me.”
“As a lawyer, he should also review the Federal High Court ruling to realise that the EFCC and its allies did not spare any effort to refute the information provided by its informants. “H.E. Nyesom Wike ought to be informed that my title documents were restored in accordance with the law, and he ought to either return or release the other seized documents.” Obioma stated that his clients’ beliefs were endangering his life, hence this was imperative.
He said: “Yes my life is being threatened by those whose properties have not been restored. Most of them have waited since 2003 till date they are now asking, having been acquitted by a court of competent jurisdiction what else is holding their documents? They have been alleging that I sold them.”
The developer who is presently away in London to complete the PhD programme he abandoned since 2003, said he was ready to suspend it to pave way for resolution of the issue He said: “Yes am not in the country, but am ready to suspend what am doing here to come if my attention is needed by the minister as a solution to the confusion created by the demolition.”
Conclusively, he advised that: “The demolition gale should be checked so that investors would not lose interest in FCT.”
