Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has confirmed Ghanaian firm JonahCapital Nigeria Limited as the original owners of River Park Estate in Lugbe, Abuja.
Wike made the clarification during a television programme, tracing the ownership dispute to an agreement signed between the FCT Administration and JonahCapital during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. JonahCapital, promoted by Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, was allocated Plot 4, Cadastral Zone E30 Lugbe, for the development of the estate.
According to the minister, the company later engaged Paulo Homes to facilitate building approvals from the FCT Development Control, a move he said was outside the terms of its agreement with the administration.
“A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, S.I. Ameh, wrote a petition, and I set up a ministerial panel headed by the General Counsel of the FCT. Their lawyers made presentations. The FCT has no agreement with Paulo Homes. The only agreement we signed was with JonahCapital,” Wike said.
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He explained that while JonahCapital breached the terms of its lease by engaging Paulo Homes, its development lease has since expired. Wike said the administration decided to demolish structures put up by Paulo Homes and withdraw global Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) issued through the company, with a plan to reissue them directly to affected homeowners.
On recent enforcement actions at the estate, the minister said the move was to resolve ownership disputes and prevent irregularities in land administration.
Wike also criticised the activities of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit, led by Commissioner of Police Akin Fakorede, for holding a press conference alongside former Force Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi, where ownership of the estate was attributed to Paulo Homes.