Residents of Nuwalege, a rural community along the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road in Abuja, are pleading for compensation after their homes were demolished by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) at the request of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), according to a report by The PUNCH.
More than 200 families have been left homeless as a result of the demolition, which was carried out to make way for an extension of the Presidential Air Fleet. The displaced residents have since sought refuge in nearby communities, including Zamani, SaukaGiri, Iddo, and Gwagwalada.
The specifics of the Presidential Air Fleet project remain unclear, including details about its funding. However, it is believed that construction is imminent, as NAF personnel have already been mobilized to the site.
The affected families have voiced concerns that they have yet to receive any compensation from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), led by Nyesom Wike, the Nigerian Air Force, or the Ministry of Aviation. Despite promises of investigation, there is still no clarity on whether any compensation has been paid or will be paid.
When a correspondent from The PUNCH attempted to visit Nuwalege on Wednesday, they were barred from entering the community by heavily armed Air Force personnel. This area, once home to Abuja natives and other Nigerians, has been completely cordoned off.
Back in December, during a community engagement session, the Director of the FCT Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, mentioned that the Air Force had notified the FCT minister of their plans to relocate the residents. However, the status of compensation was uncertain at the time.
Galadima stated, “We will engage with the Air Force and conduct further investigations to determine if any form of compensation has been paid, and to whom.” He also noted that residents were given a two-month notice before the demolition commenced, and the Air Force had been informed about the FCTA’s policy on relocating indigenous communities.
However, residents dispute this account, stating they were neither notified nor compensated. An artisan named Wisdom James explained that they were initially told the demolition would happen in two years, but the authorities arrived much sooner, demolishing their homes without any prior warning.
James, who now resides in Zamani, said, “We were told the demolition had been postponed for two years. But within days, they were back with bulldozers, clearing the area without paying us anything.”
Despite efforts to seek justice through legal means, residents report that their contributions of between N2,500 and N10,000 have not resulted in any legal action or compensation.
Another resident, Obadiah Tanko, shared that the natives had lived in Nuwalege long before the Air Force base was established. He noted that some of their ancestors were buried on the site that is now part of the NAF base.
Tanko, who has lived in Nuwalege for 15 years, recounted how the community took legal action years ago when the FCDA first marked parts of their land. He emphasized that none of the victims had been compensated, and many indigenous people, such as the Bassa and Gbagyi, still remain without any form of redress.
Folashade Olatunde, another former resident, recounted her experience of being forced to sleep in a classroom for two weeks after her home was demolished. She eventually found a place in Zamani but lamented that her family is now scattered across different locations due to the forced eviction.
Olatunde added, “We left on January 15, 2024. No compensation, nothing. I had to borrow money to rent a one-room apartment after sleeping in a school. My family is now separated, and we’ve lost our home.”
Mrs. Elizabeth Olushola, who lost both her home and a school she had built in the community, echoed similar sentiments. She was not given any prior notice or compensation and is now struggling to make ends meet after relocating to a rented apartment.
Point-of-Sale terminal operator and liquor store owner, Chukwuemeka Nwokoli, was initially informed that only a small extension of the NAF Base was planned. However, on January 15, bulldozers arrived, and his home was demolished without warning.
Nwokoli, who did not join the legal action against the government, expressed doubts about the possibility of compensation, stating, “If there was going to be compensation, I don’t think the houses would have been demolished first.”
Mrs. Josephine Johnson, a schoolteacher who had lived in Nuwalege for over 10 years, also shared her distress over losing her home without any prior notice or compensation. She now lives in a one-bedroom flat with her husband and four children, after squatting with a relative.
Another resident, Titus Bitrus, who had lived in Nuwalege for more than 16 years, described how he now squats with his brother in Zamani after his house was demolished. He too had received no prior notice or compensation.
When contacted for comments, NAF spokesperson, AVM Edward Gabkwet, advised the victims to take their grievances to the Ministry of Defence or the FCTA, stating that NAF does not compensate for land allocated to it by the Federal Government.
Presidential spokesperson, Temitope Ajayi, declined to comment, directing inquiries to the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Keyamo, however, did not address the compensation issue and referred to a report about the FCT minister’s promise to compensate the Jiwa community for land acquired for the Abuja airport’s second runway.
Attempts to reach the FCT Director of Development Control, Galadima, for comments on the compensation issue were unsuccessful.
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