Reps vow to reclaim Abuja Arts and Crafts Village

…Okay police presence to stem encroachment
The House of Representatives on Thursday vowed to reclaim the entire land originally allocated to the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC) for the construction of its Abuja Arts and Crafts Village which is now being encroached upon by individuals and corporate bodies, describing the act as a national embarrassment.

Chairman, House Committee on Culture and Tourism, Rep. Omorege Ogbeide -Ihama, who made the declaration at a meeting with the NCAC management led by its Director General, Otunba Segun Runsewe, supported the deployment of the police to secure the national edifice.

Rep. Ogbeide -Ihama stated that the committee decided to summon the NCAC management to ascertain why the village was under lock and key, “so that we can take a bold step to secure what belongs to the nation from private individuals and corporate bodies who illegally acquired the village for private use.

“Having listened to the the director general of the NCAC, we are directing him now to liaise with the police so that they will continue to guard the village and to ensure that all those arrested at the place with weapons are prosecuted.”

He said that the committee will visit the village for an on the spot assessment in order to see the extent of the encroachment as well as the individuals and corporate bodies involved in the encroachment.

“The agency should furnish our secretariat with the original certificate of occupancy issued to the NCAC and other relevant documments on the land which will also guide us in the course of our investigation

“There is no going back; the place must be put to international standard for which the government allocated the land for and not for private use or den of criminal as it is now,” the lawmaker added.

The House committee wondered how it became possible for individuals and private bodies to claim ownership of the vast land meant for the agency without any action from its previous managements‎ and promised that any official found culpable in the matter would be severely punished.

Earlier, the Director General of the agency, Runsewe had raised the alarm over the large scale encroachment on the NCAC land allocated for the construction of an International Arts and Crafts Village.

Runsewe disclosed that the land had been taken over by hoodlums and pleaded for the prompt intervention of the National Assembly to assist in reclaiming the land.

“On my assumption of office last year as director general of the NCAC, I met over 37 abandoned cars believed to have been stolen, just as over 300 persons were sleeping in the village.

“And we normarlly record over 20 cases of armed robberies. The place is very close to the the Sheraton Hotels, and the criminals normally harrass the foreigners lodging there after which they will run for cover at the village

“Also, let me inform you that some individuals wrote to about 79‎ embassies soliciting for aid to renovate the village without our knowlege or passing through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We further discovered that an individual constructed about 92 shops here ilegally while those who acquired shops from the agency at the rate of N45,000 per year lease same out at the rate of N700, 000.

“To us, this is outrageous and we have to report all these to the parent Ministry of Information, Culure and Tourism as well as the police

“It may interest you to note that when the police raided the village, several firearms and hard drugs of all kinds were discovered in the place while several arrests were also made.

“We are appealing to the parliament to assist us in recovering our village from the individuals and corporate bodies claiming that the land was leased out to them by unauthorized government organs,” he stated.