Wike pledges action over Qatar’s disputed embassy land in Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has assured Qatar that the FCT Administration will take action to address a legal challenge to the Gulf country’s ownership of an 8,000-square-metre plot allocated for its embassy in Abuja.

Wike gave the assurance on Tuesday when he received Qatar’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Yousef Mohammed Ahmed Al-Hail, in Abuja, following concerns raised over a court letter challenging the country’s ownership of the property.

“Be assured that nothing will happen. We want to assure you that whatever the issue is, we will take action on it,” the minister said.

The ambassador had appealed to the FCT Administration to clarify the situation to enable Qatar to proceed with its plans to develop the embassy site.

Wike also used the meeting to seek stronger cooperation between Abuja and Doha, particularly in urban planning, infrastructure development, transportation and investment.

He said the FCT Administration was willing to send a delegation to Qatar to study its urban development models and identify practices that could be adapted to Abuja.

“We want to partner with you. We will come and see how we can visit Qatar and see what they have done in terms of developing new cities. Planning and the concepts are very key,” he said.

The minister said the administration would support efforts to strengthen cooperation and ensure that legitimate Qatari business and investment interests in Abuja were not hindered.

He also proposed engagements with Qatar Charity to explore possible development projects in the FCT, particularly in education, healthcare, housing and community infrastructure.

Wike said partnerships with international development organisations could help improve infrastructure and social services across the territory.

Earlier, Al-Hail expressed Qatar’s interest in deepening its relationship with Nigeria, with particular focus on Abuja’s urban development and investment opportunities.

He proposed a formal partnership between Abuja and Doha to facilitate the exchange of expertise in city planning, transport systems, infrastructure and investment.

The ambassador cited Qatar’s experience in developing modern transport networks, educational facilities and aviation infrastructure as areas from which Abuja could draw lessons.

He also called for discussions towards a cooperation agreement between the relevant authorities in both cities and expressed readiness to review a draft agreement and advance plans for a possible visit by FCT officials to Qatar.

On investment, Al-Hail highlighted opportunities for Nigerian businesses in Qatar, citing reforms aimed at attracting foreign investors and expanding participation in the property and business sectors.

He further said Qatar Airways operated flights connecting Doha with Abuja and Lagos, adding that the airline planned to increase capacity to meet passenger demand.

The discussions covered opportunities to expand trade, tourism, investment and people-to-people relations between Nigeria and Qatar, alongside efforts to resolve the concerns surrounding the embassy land.