The minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has asked illegal occupants of the proposed Abuja technology village site along Airport Road to vacate the area.

Mr Wike gave the directive when he visited the area in Abuja on Monday.

Mr Wike was accompanied by the minister of innovation, science and technology, Uche Nnaji, on the visit to the site.

The minister said that he would direct the Department of Development Control to issue the illegal occupants an ultimatum to leave, adding that the indigenous community in the area had been compensated since 2015.

“I am not impressed with what I am seeing. We don’t lack the political will. If you don’t take action, people will not believe that anything is possible.

“I will call the Development Control Department and give them an ultimatum for these people to leave. They have been compensated since 2015.

“I urge those who settled here illegally to know that we will not hesitate to move them out. No amount of campaign will stop us from doing the right thing,” he said.

He advised the management of the Abuja technology village to take the position in the space, fence the area and show some level of presence.

Mr Wike explained that he invited Mr Nnaji to accompany him to the site so that he could take control of the place and see how investors could come in.

He asked the management of the technology village to send him an estimate of what would be required to erect a befitting office on the site.

“You are in charge of this place, and you don’t even have an office here, at least to show presence and tell people that we are here.

“So, if an investor is coming now, he is coming to meet an empty land, and you are renting an office outside the village.

“Please, let us know what it will take to erect a befitting office so you can leave that place that you said that you are renting, and if you calculate the amount of money you spent renting, it is a waste,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Nnaji expressed concern over the presence of illegal occupants on the site, saying the erection of illegal buildings in the area could discourage some investors who had expressed  interest in investing in the village

He disclosed that an American company had already declared its intention to build 200 megawatts of electricity in the technology village.

“There are so many other companies that want to start right away, but as this encroachment continues, we have to stop it somewhere and see how we can take over, either to compensate the owners or demolish them.

“We can’t have this kind of thing here. Our mission here is in the interest of the country, and it is in keeping with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” Mr Nnaji said.

Mr Nnaji said the technology village would be modelled after the London Technology City and the Silicon Valley.

“So, the infrastructure and technology that this place is going to house in a couple of years would be humongous,” he said

Speaking on behalf of the management team of the technology village, the acting managing director, Yusuf Isa, said their hopes were being renewed by the minister’s visit.

The Abuja technology village is a science and technology park and a special economic zone being developed to accommodate clusters of science and technology firms from selected sectors and promote technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

The project site, where primary infrastructure construction works are ongoing, is strategically located adjacent to other science and technology institutions that together create a huge economic cluster along a superhighway connecting the Abuja City Centre and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

(NAN)