The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Friday said that the government cannot compensate the indigenous people of Abuja enough for the sacrifice they have made towards the development of Nigeria’s capital city.
The Minister said this when the newly completed N5 road network in the Lifecamp district of Abuja was inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu on Friday.
Wike noted that the development of Abuja has cost the natives their ancestral homes, and that nothing can be quantified for their contributions towards the ongoing development.
He stated that the natives were initially opposed to the plans of expanding the development frontiers in their native homeland, but noted that their compliance has aided the success journey.
“Let me thank all of the people, particularly the residents here, who initially were a problem, but have to understand. Most people say we want to come from the city, and we want to come from the capital. There are problems associated with it. You lose certain things. And that is losing our traditional homes.
“I thank you for the support, but at the end of the day, whether I like it or not, the compensation we paid, whatever it is, cannot be enough to compensate you for losing your traditional homes.
“So, I want to specially thank you for that. Let me also thank our team. They have been working, led by the Permanent Secretary, from day one to now. It’s not been easy. I want to thank you,” he said.
