Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, says the Federal Government is committed and will adopt all necessary measures that will lead to the amicable and just resolution of the land dispute between indigenous people of Abuja and the Nigerian Army.
Osinbajo stated this today during a meeting with a delegation of Gbagyi leaders comprising political office holders, traditional and youth leaders, at the Presidential Villa.
Last week Tuesday, on his way to the airport to launch the Homegrown School Feeding Programme in Ekiti state, the Vice President ran into some protesters at Goza village. The protesters blocked Osinbajo’s motorcade prompting him to alight to engage with the angry youths, a move that culminated into today’s meeting.
Osinbajo said he had briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter and would find out from the Chief of Staff to the President, what the presidential committee constituted to look into the issues has so far done.
According to the Vice President, “what is very important now is that we do not allow a situation where things are not done according to the law and due process. It is also important that this issue is resolved amicably and justly.
The Vice President also directed authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to submit to his office, a comprehensive report on the disputed land and what it has done to resolve the matter.
Earlier, Sen. Philip Aduda, the Senator representing the FCT at the National Assembly, dismissed the claim by the Army authorities that the land was allocated to it and appreciated the intervention of the Vice President.
Also, the Secretary, Area Councils Services Secretariat, Sen. Isa Maina said the FCT authorities in an effort to address the issue has already proposed to allocate a plot of land to the Nigerian Army in Kwali.
He said contrary to the directive by the presidential committee that all parties involved in the matter maintain status quo, the Nigerian Army has proceeded to construct structures on the disputed land.
On his part, the Emir of Jiwa, His Royal Highness Idris Musa said the indigenous people of Abuja are not against the Nigerian Army in any way but want a just and amicable resolution of the matter.
In the same vein, the representative of the youths, Mr Dalhatu Musa who had spoken last week for the protesters when the Vice President interacted with them on his way to the airport noted that the youths wanted due process to be followed in the resolution of the land issue.
He commended the intervention of the Vice President and appealed to him to also look into other issues affecting the indigenous people of the FCT.
Those present at the meeting include the senator representing the FCT in the National Assembly, Sen. Philip Aduda; the Secretary, Area Councils Services Secretariat, Sen. Isa Maina; Chairmen of AMAC, Abdullahi Candido; Bwari Area Council, Mr. Shekwogaza Gabaya and Abaji Area Council, Abdulrahman Ajiya; Emir of Jiwa, HRH Idris Musa; the Ona of Abaji, Alhaji Yunusa Adamu and youth leaders from the affected communities.
The land in dispute cover over 7,000 hectares cutting across Gwagwa, Idu, Zuba and Giri communities in the Federal Capital Territory.
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