Illegal Structures: FCTA Gives Mpape Community Two Weeks Demolition Notice

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has given
residents of Mpape community a two week demolition notice, before
it’s bulldozers would be berthing there in continuation of the
ongoing city wide cleaning exercise.

Making this disclosure, the FCT Ministerial Committee on City
Sanitation, Comrade Ikharo Attah on Tuesday hinted that the
purported directive from a Commissioner of Public Complaint
Commission that demolition within the city should be halted, can’t
prevent the removal of all illegal structures constituting
environmental nuisances.

While adding that the two weeks notice was in line with the
policy of FCT Administration to carry all relevant stakeholders
along in sensitizatizing all affected communities, and ensuring
maximum compliance.

Attah, however, explained that moving the bulldozers to Mpape
for the clean up, was in response to the cry of the residents who
had complained that activities of traders and mechanics, illegally
occupying the road corridors were obstructing traffic flows.

His words; “After the two weeks, all illegal structures along
the road would be demolished, to save the people from any untoward
situation that could threaten both human lives and the
environment.”

“We will be entering Mpape in the next two weeks. We have asked
them to remove whatever is on the roadside. The beauty of the
exercise, is that it was the Landlords and tenants who wrote to the
Minister to come for the demolition.”

“They said the whole road stretch is not passable, a journey
from Mpape to the city centre that should take 6 or 7 minutes, is
now 1 or two hours because of traffic gridlock.”

“We are moving into Mpape with up to six bulldozers to remove
every nuisances. It is going to be massive removal of illegal
containers occupying the road shoulders, all mechanic workshops,
car wash and blood industries and all the attachment that people
have located on the road.”

He continued; “We are also going to ensure that all undeveloped
plots of land along the road shoulders are left empty, so that
activities there will not flow to the road.

“The alleged directive from a Commissioner of the Public
Complaint Commission did not mention Mpape, the Commissioner
referred to the exercise at Iddo Sarki, where some people alleged
that we demolished indigenous peoples houses.”

“The Commissioner has gone to the community and have discovered
that no house belonging to any indigene was demolished.”

“I can state that not a single house belonging to an Abuja
indigene was demolished. The houses that were demolished at Iddo
Sarki were all houses built by people who illegally bought land
from local Chiefs. Over 90 percent of the demolished buildings were
actually owned by uniformed people.”

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has given
residents of Mpape community a two week demolition notice, before
it’s bulldozers would be berthing there in continuation of the
ongoing city wide cleaning exercise.

Making this disclosure, the FCT Ministerial Committee on City
Sanitation, Comrade Ikharo Attah on Tuesday hinted that the
purported directive from a Commissioner of Public Complaint
Commission that demolition within the city should be halted, can’t
prevent the removal of all illegal structures constituting
environmental nuisances.

While adding that the two weeks notice was in line with the
policy of FCT Administration to carry all relevant stakeholders
along in sensitizatizing all affected communities, and ensuring
maximum compliance.

Attah, however, explained that moving the bulldozers to Mpape
for the clean up, was in response to the cry of the residents who
had complained that activities of traders and mechanics, illegally
occupying the road corridors were obstructing traffic flows.

His words; “After the two weeks, all illegal structures along
the road would be demolished, to save the people from any untoward
situation that could threaten both human lives and the
environment.”

“We will be entering Mpape in the next two weeks. We have asked
them to remove whatever is on the roadside. The beauty of the
exercise, is that it was the Landlords and tenants who wrote to the
Minister to come for the demolition.”

“They said the whole road stretch is not passable, a journey
from Mpape to the city centre that should take 6 or 7 minutes, is
now 1 or two hours because of traffic gridlock.”

“We are moving into Mpape with up to six bulldozers to remove
every nuisances. It is going to be massive removal of illegal
containers occupying the road shoulders, all mechanic workshops,
car wash and blood industries and all the attachment that people
have located on the road.”

He continued; “We are also going to ensure that all undeveloped
plots of land along the road shoulders are left empty, so that
activities there will not flow to the road.

“The alleged directive from a Commissioner of the Public
Complaint Commission did not mention Mpape, the Commissioner
referred to the exercise at Iddo Sarki, where some people alleged
that we demolished indigenous peoples houses.”

“The Commissioner has gone to the community and have discovered
that no house belonging to any indigene was demolished.”

“I can state that not a single house belonging to an Abuja
indigene was demolished. The houses that were demolished at Iddo
Sarki were all houses built by people who illegally bought land
from local Chiefs. Over 90 percent of the demolished buildings were
actually owned by uniformed people.”