The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has praised Zeberced, the management company of Abuja Industrial Park, for accelerating work on the $300 million Free Trade Zone project, while warning that unlawful encroachment could threaten investor confidence.
NEPZA Managing Director Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi made the remarks during a routine inspection of the project in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the pace of construction had validated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to license the 250-hectare park as a Free Trade Zone.
Located in Idu Industrial Layout Phase IV, the park is expected to accommodate more than 170 factories and create approximately 40,000 jobs, while positioning the Federal Capital Territory as a major centre for manufacturing and export-oriented industrial activity.
Ogunyemi urged host communities to protect the project, stressing that investments of such magnitude require a secure and stable operating environment.
His appeal came against the backdrop of an August 8 incident in which youths from Jiwa allegedly invaded the zone and pulled down part of its perimeter fence to create an unauthorised access road.
Describing the incident as “unacceptable” and a direct attack on investor confidence, the NEPZA chief said the authority would not tolerate encroachment, destruction, theft or unauthorised access to the zone.
He noted that such actions could expose people and property to vandalism, trespass and other security threats, while disrupting industrial operations.
NEPZA has alerted FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and the FCT Commissioner of Police and is seeking the deployment of federal security infrastructure to address the threat.
The authority also plans to meet with Wike and Works Minister David Umahi over the road network surrounding the industrial park.
Other measures include a joint investigation with the Nigeria Police Force and the FCT administration, support for Zeberced’s assessment of losses, reinforcement of the perimeter fence, and the installation of additional CCTV cameras and floodlights. Twenty -four-hour internal and external patrols will also be introduced across the zone.
“NEPZA reassures all current and prospective investors that the safety of personnel and assets remains our top priority,” Ogunyemi said, adding that the incident would not weaken the authority’s commitment to making Nigeria’s Free Trade Zones a preferred destination for global investment.
