Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has approved a 99-year lease that may have consumed Riverplate Park, a green recreational garden located in the heart of Abuja’s Cadastral Zone in Central Area. An insider told FIJ that unsuspecting and new tenants risk losing their money if they pay for rent in the area.
Riverplate, one of the largest green ecosystems in Abuja, was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on September 25, 2008. Yohanna Kwada Haruna, an architect, owns the park.
The park grew over the years to become one of the most visited recreational spaces in the FCT, boasting over 50 service providers operating on site.
What once served as a convergent point for fun seekers may soon turn to a shopping mall under a new management. By a statutory right of occupancy, marked 0001942, and signed by Director of Land Administration Chijioke Nwankwoeze, Wike gave a 99-year licence to 10-year-old Tripple Zees Projects and Properties Limited, a real estate firm, on July 14.
News of the reallocation has spread within the real estate circles in the FCT as industry players passed the message around just to be cautious in their business dealings around the park.
The real estate firm got the allocation upon paying N30,148,600, the declared sum for rent and other related charges, to the Federal Territory Capital Administration (FCTA).
“The certificate was forwarded to our real estate group so as to be informed and warn our clients,” said a realtor who wants to be anonymous.
“An occupant might want to sublet their vacant space at the park to another person without declaring that the park has been reallocated to a new company. And the person might lose their money when the new management asks everyone to leave.”
Riverplate is an attractive place for business and once people hear there are spaces for lease, they would be eager to pay, the realtor added.
A great choice for fun lovers, Riverplate used to host football matches, training sessions and events such as wedding and birthday parties. It was also a place for bars, lounges, popular food vendors, beauty enterprises, among other service-focused businesses.
It provided side attractions to children and older people within an area dotted with lush greenery and healthy flowers to enrich visitors’ mix of experiences.
“Basically, the park always bubbles day and night,” this realtor told FIJ.
“With the permission to convert the place to a shopping mall, the door is now shut against young footballers who come to train on a pitch located inside the park. I think these footballers are from Papilo FC Academy. By now, the new owner must have started planning on how to take possession of the place, which will unavoidably lead to job losses and business paralysis for business owners and their staff.”
Efforts to speak to the acquiring company were unsuccessful. On Thursday, FIJ spoke to Dennis Obumneme Adigwe, a man listed as one of the shareholders of the company, and he said he was no longer affiliated with the firm.
“I stopped being a director about eight years ago,” Adigwe said. He added that he had cut ties with the company completely and could not help with a contact of its current leaders. FIJ also found that the company’s profile was non-existent on the internet.
The owner of the park owns the United Kingdom-based Riverplate Associate Limited. FIJ messaged and phoned a UK contact number listed on its website but no response was received at press time.
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