NEPZA Moves to Resolve Abuja Technology Village Land Dispute

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has moved to broker peace between the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Abuja Technology Village (ATV), a licensed Free Trade Zone, following a dispute over the potential revocation of the zone’s land title.

This is as NEPZA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, urges ATV operators and investors to immediately withdraw their lawsuit against the FCTA to allow for a roundtable resolution.

According to a statement on Friday by NEPZA’s Head, Corporate Communications, Martins Odeh, Ph.D., Dr. Ogunyemi, made the call during a courtesy visit to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday in Abuja.

The ATV operators had filed the suit in response to a revocation notice issued by the FCTA. Dr. Ogunyemi stressed that sustained collaboration in support of Free Trade Zones would not only strengthen Nigeria’s economy but also advance the FCT’s industrialisation agenda.

“I have come to discuss with His Excellency, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the importance of supporting the ATV to succeed while also promoting the Abuja City Walk project. We must work together to achieve this for the good of our nation,” Ogunyemi says.

He further discloses that NEPZA would soon conduct a nationwide assessment of all 63 licensed Free Trade Zones to evaluate their performance and contributions to foreign direct investment (FDI) and export growth.

Responding, Minister Wike reaffirmes his commitment to aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by driving FDI and industrialisation in the capital.

“We must fulfil Mr. President’s promises regarding industrialisation, trade, and investment. In this context, the FCT will collaborate with NEPZA to review the future of ATV, a zone sponsored and supported by the FCTA,” Wike said.

The minister also reveals to fast-track the Abuja City Walk (ACW) project, a 200-hectare mixed-use urban development within the ATV corridor along Airport Road. Designed to integrate residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, medical, and institutional facilities, ACW is envisioned as a world-class development that will redefine the North-Central’s economic landscape.

Wike reiterates his resolve to ensure that land and property owners in the FCT meet their obligations, stressing that such compliance is critical to unlocking the territory’s growth potential.