‘I’ll rather die than beg Tinubu over Wike’s moves to demolish our house’

‘I’ll rather die than beg Tinubu over Wike’s moves to demolish our house’

Mrs. Rita Lori Ogbebor, widow of the late Col. Paul Ogbebor, has declared she would prefer death over seeking President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in an ongoing land dispute involving Paullosa Nigeria Limited, an estate management firm founded by her late husband, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Ogbebor dismissed the idea of appealing to either the president or the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, describing it as beneath her dignity.

The dispute centers around a demolition notice issued to an estate located at Plot 2241, Gwarimpa District, Lifecamp, Abuja. Residents and the management of Paullosa Nigeria Limited have raised concerns over the impending demolition. Despite public criticism, Wike has defended the FCT administration’s stance, asserting, “Let heaven fall.”

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Ogbebor lamented that her late husband, a key contributor to Abuja’s development, was being disrespected by current actions against the estate.

“I am not saying the President should know me, but the people, the leaders, who surround and advise the President should know people like us, who oil the wheel of progress in this country. And when there is a problem like this, they should intervene, and if it is above them, they should take it to the president,” she stated.

Recounting her husband’s legacy, she added, “My husband was one of those who built Abuja; they gave him a piece of land to work as an engineer. He brought people from all over the world to work with him. Now, after 42 years, they want to demolish it and give it to Chinda? Who is Chinda?

“If you take Chinda’s age today and the period we have been here, Chinda was only 14 years old. And so is Wike. Is that not belittling of me at the age of 84, to go and meet the president, ‘Mr. President, someone in my country is demolishing my house’? No. I would rather die,” she concluded.

 

‘I’ll rather die than beg Tinubu over Wike’s moves to demolish our house’