Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, has berated the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for opposing the reallocation of elements of the University of Abuja’s land, questioning the union’s authority to problem authorities’s choices on land administration.
Wike additionally denied orchestrating the Federal High Court judgement in favour of Senator Rochas Okorocha, nullifying the popularity of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma because the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo-West Senatorial District in the 2027 elections.
He made the remarks yesterday throughout his month-to-month media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the place he addressed the controversy surrounding the UniAbuja land dispute and allegations linking him to the authorized battle in opposition to Uzodinma’s senatorial ambition.
Taking a swipe at ASUU over its menace to embark on an industrial motion if the FCT Administration fails to reverse the disputed land allocations, Wike questioned why an instructional union ought to intrude in issues he described because the statutory duty of the federal government.
“What is the business of ASUU on our land? How is ASUU the owner of land? Is ASUU the owner of the union in Nigeria now? Is it the union’s right?” he queried.
The minister dismissed the union’s land-grabbing allegations, insisting that land administration and enforcement of the Abuja grasp plan fall throughout the jurisdiction of the FCT Administration.
He additionally questioned the rationale behind the University of Abuja retaining greater than 11,000 hectares of land, arguing that huge parts of undeveloped land shouldn’t be allowed to impede authorities plans for growth.
Wike maintained that the FCTA’s determination to reallocate parts of the establishment’s land to non-public builders and authorities businesses was a part of its duty to control land use and promote growth in the nation’s capital.
He additional declared that the administration wouldn’t succumb to what he described as blackmail by threats of commercial motion, insisting that ASUU was free to method the courts if it disagreed with the federal government’s place.
Wike additionally described the allegations he masterminded the courtroom ruling in opposition to Uzodinma as mischievous, saying he had no involvement in the authorized proceedings and questioned how he may have influenced a case arising from inner APC disputes.
“I didn’t go to court; I’m not from APC,” Wike stated.
He defined that the allegations emerged after Uzodinma publicly opposed the Rainbow Coalition initiative and reportedly warned his supporters in opposition to collaborating in the political association.
According to Wike, the timing of the courtroom judgment led some individuals to wrongly attribute the authorized motion to him due to his political disagreement with the Imo governor.
The minister, nonetheless, challenged Uzodinma to clarify his opposition to the Rainbow Coalition, sustaining that their political variations shouldn’t be interpreted as proof of his involvement in the courtroom case.
