Over 200 families from the Nuwalege community in Abuja have been left homeless after their houses were demolished to make way for an extension of the Presidential Air Fleet.
The demolition, carried out by the Federal Capital Development Authority at the request of the Nigerian Air Force, has rendered the residents of Nuwalege without shelter or compensation.
The affected families, who were forced to seek refuge in nearby communities such as Zamani, Sauka, Giri, Iddo, and Gwagwalada, are now calling on the government to provide them with adequate compensation for their losses. Despite the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Nigerian Air Force, and Ministry of Aviation being aware of the situation, no compensation has been forthcoming.
During a visit to the Nuwalege community, our correspondent was denied access to the site by heavily armed Air Force personnel, highlighting the sensitivity surrounding the project.
Details of the Presidential Air Fleet project, including its funding and timeline, remain scarce, but it is believed that construction activities are imminent, with NAF personnel already mobilized to the site.
In December last year, the Director of the FCT Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, acknowledged that the Air Force had notified the FCT minister of their plans to relocate the residents, but the status of compensation remained uncertain.
As the displaced residents of Nuwalege continue to struggle, it is imperative that the government takes immediate action to address their plight and provide the necessary support.
According to the report,“We will discuss with the Air Force because obviously, discussions behind the scenes indicate that some forms of compensation were paid. We are going to conduct further investigation by engaging the FCT Department of Resettlement and Compensation as well as the Nigerian Air Force and find out if compensation has been paid, to whom, and when,” Galadima said.
Addressing journalists after the demolition in January, the director claimed the residents were given a two-month notice before the exercise, adding that his office had informed the Air Force of the administration’s policy on relocating indigenous communities.
“We informed the residents residing on the Nigeria Air Force land about the impending action and granted them a two-month window to pack their belongings.
“When the Air Force approached us, we told them about the FCTA policy on relocation and resettlement of indigenous communities. However, other non-indigenes are to be moved out of the location so that the Air Force can take over their land.
“The structures belonging to indigenes were left out because statutorily they have to be relocated and compensated, that’s why we are not touching their properties,” he stated.
However, residents of the community said on Thursday that they were not notified of the demolition beforehand or paid any form of compensation, adding that no house was spared in the community during the demolition exercise.
An artisan, Wisdom James, disclosed that the residents were earlier informed the demolition would take place in another two years. However, the authorities came not long after to clear the community, he claimed.
“I live in Zamani now, but I’m from Nuwalege. They demolished our house in January. There was no information (prior to the demolition). The place they marked for demolition is not the place they demolished. They didn’t tell us when they would be coming.
“At a time, they told us they had shifted the demolition until the next two years. But in two days, they were there with bulldozers and started work. They didn’t pay us anything,” she said.
Speaking on the legal action by the residents, James said they each contributed between N2,500 and N10,000 to seek justice, adding that nothing had come of it.
“We made some contributions to take the issue to court. I paid N2,500. We were meeting in Sauka. After meeting about six times, there was nothing like that again. The money we gathered, we don’t know where they took it to, and we weren’t paid back.”
An indigene of the community, Obadiah Tanko, said the natives had lived there long before the Air Force base was built next to it, pointing out that some of their ancestors were buried in the site that now belonged to the NAF.
“I’ve been living in Nuwalege for 15 years, though I am an indigene. When they (FCDA) first came, they used beacons to mark some places. That was years ago. So, we took the issue to court, because before the (Air Force) base was built, we used to farm there. But they shifted us towards the river. Some of our grandfathers were buried where the base is now.
“They did an initial demolition in 2007. When they came, they told us only part of the place would be demolished. Before we knew it, we were told it would be the whole thing, although they didn’t demolish mine because I’m an indigene. Some people who are Bassa and Gbagyi are still there. None of the victims were told they would be paid anything, and none of them has received any payment,” he added.
Another former resident of the community, Folashade Olatunde, recounted her ordeal, stating that she slept in a classroom for two weeks after her home was demolished.
She eventually found an apartment in the Zamani community.
The mother of five lamented that her family was no longer staying together since the forceful eviction and demolition, adding that the FCDA destroyed more than 200 houses in Nuwalege.
Olatunde stated, “We left the community on January 15, 2024. They didn’t pay us any compensation, nothing at all. They just pursued everybody. I found money to rent a one-room apartment in Zamani after two weeks of sleeping in a primary school in the harsh cold.
“My family and I are separated, and I had to take some of our property back home. I have been staying here since then. I stay here with my husband and my two youngest children. My oldest son and the one immediately after him sleep in a nearby church, while my daughter is in Ekiti with my family. They scattered my family.
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