Land encroachment: Jisalo, Candido assures Iddo community of justice

Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Alhaji Adamu Candido and the House of Representatives member representing the Federal Capital Territory, Hon. Zaphania Jizalo, have assured Iddo community in the FCT of doing everything within their power to return mass land illegally occupied by the Nigeria military back to them as the matter is already before the National Assembly.

Alhaji Candido and Honourable Jisalo said this during a community familiarisation tour of the town and meeting the people visit.

According to the AMAC Chairman, his administration has vowed to ensure that the people within his jurisdiction are not denied of their due rights but fully enjoy dividend of democracy.

He said that most disturbing now is the issue of mass land being occupied by the Nigerian soldiers, promising that he will not rest on his oars to ensure that justice is done.

Adamu Candido reminded that since the people are predominantly farmers, any occupation on the lands must be adequately compensated and due process followed to achieve that.

His words: “Our job is to ensure that our people get good representations at all levels as far as democracy is concerned. And what we need from our people is their support and we will ensure that every necessary avenue is followed to seek justice.

If it means meeting the minister and other relevant heads that allocate lands in the FCT we will do that”.

Also speaking, member representing the FCT in the House of Representatives, Honourable Zephaniah Jizalo, who till recently decamped to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), told the people that his office has actually received the peoples complaint with good efforts to alert the entire House of Representatives of the military invasion of the mass lands at Iddo community of the FCT.

He said: “I can assure you that the matter has been reported to me which I had already presented to the leadership of the House as well as the office of the FCT minister for immediate action. The minister has asked me to tarry a little bit while he look into the matter.

You will get your lands back, your farm lands cannot be taken like that without full negotiation and compensation if the need be.

You will get adequate compensation and I will ensure that adequate measures are put on ground to ensure that your sons and daughters does not look for lands when they grow”.

Honourable Zephaniah further said that part of his visit to the community is to ensure that the less privilege in the community are alleviated and the entire community embraces education through the offer of scholarships from secondary schools to tertiary institutions.

Highlights of the occasion was the presentation of scholarships to 15 students ranging from Ordinary National Diploma (OND), National Certificate for Education (NCE) and Higher National Diploma (HND).

Also 25 pupils across the community were also awarded scholarships to attend college at various parts of the FCT.

The scholarship award, which is an initiative of Jagaba Development Initiative (JDI), a brain child of the supervisory councilor for works in AMAC, Hon. Jagaba A. Sarki, was targeted at showing appreciation to the people who have given the councilor the opportunity to serve in the present administration of Adamu Candido.

Jagaba said: “The initiative is not new to the people of Gui ward where am from. I can clearly recall that several years back, before my election, as the councilor of the ward, I have been both a youth and community leader who has tried to attract development the ward and during my time as a ward councilor.

I tried to put smile on the faces of people just as we are replicating today. But today, we are yet witnessing another demonstration of my vision of affecting people more positively.

I wish to also inform you that today we will be offering help to the less privileges among us.

In another development, the supervisory councilor, who revealed that the source of his finance was his one year sitting allowance, stated that part of his objectives is to help his community and the primary schools around the community fight open defecations by providing funds for the provisions of five toilets each at the schools across Iddo Sarki.

This, he said, will help fight the scourge of cholera and other diseases in the area.