Abuja Master Plan: Will infractions, demolition ever stop?

As part of efforts to restore and maintain the Abuja master plan the bulldozer of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) wreaked havoc in Karu, Mpape and Area 1. In this report, KEHINDE OSASONA asks if there would ever be an end to the infractions and the consequences.

Wailing and crying rented the air when the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) demolition machine bulldozed through Karu and Area 1 last week, Residents of the territory were quick to reminisce on what transpired in Mpape last year when the same exercise was carried out.

While the Mpape community’s experience lasted, about 2,000 illegal structures in places like Area 1, Ajegunle, Arab Road, and Market Area were pulled down.

In 2021, Lugbe-Across, Lugbe-Berger, Lugbe-Carwash and Lugbe Zone 5, along the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road had their own dose of the FCTA action.

At the end of it, no less than 400 structures were affected, while over 137 hostels, hotels, and other public buildings at Iddo Sarki community in Aviation Village, opposite the main campus of the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, Abuja, were all pulled down owing to illegal acquisition of the plots.

The recent demolition exercise in Karu and Area 1 continues to evoke resctions as residents and shop owners bemoan their plights.

Many residents lamented amidst their emotional nightmare, stating the demolition had left them homeless and without means of livelihood as property worth millions of naira had been destroyed.

The development no doubt has compounded the endless struggle by residents in the suburbs coupled with the spate of crime and recent fuel crisis plaguing Nigerians.

A shop owner, who simply gave her name as Anita, told Blueprint Weekend that there was no prior notice before the demolition.

“I was busy doing some chores when they came, immediately; I rushed out and saw police with tear gas threatening to shoot people for snapping what was happening around. I was terrified because people were already scampering for safety amidst the confusion.

“Without taking anything except the cloth I had on, I had to give way for them to do their work, though painfully,” Anita recalled with tears streaming down.

While also relating his ordeal to our correspondent, another resident, who did not want his name in print, decried the turn of events, describing the exercise as sheer wickedness.

“I wonder why the government chooses to hurt us at this difficult time. Let me tell you, nobody, I repeat nobody told us anything. We were just hearing rumour and since we did not want to die of hypertension, we decided to ignore the rumour and just move on with our lives.

“I was away at my work place when I heard that our area was being demolished. I was confused and shaking. My brother, we all know how important shelter is, especially in Abuja. Now, tell me, what do we have now?

FCTA defence

However, prior to this time, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammad Bello, had in November 2021, announced that demolition of illegal structures would be done in Abuja to correct infractions on the city’s master plan.

Bello, who frowned at the development, told journalists that most of the infractions happened during COVID-19 lockdown, when the inability of the inspectorate staff to cover the city gave room for many people to start erecting illegal structures.

“The policies and guidelines for building in FCT are very clear and well documented, the laws are there. What we are doing is basically to remove infringements,” he stated.

Similarly, while justifying its stance after the exercise, the FCTA argued that the action was aimed at ridding the capital city of shanties, criminality, rowdiness and illegal structures which constituted security threats.

The Chairman, FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation and Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, to the Minister, Attah Ikharo, the demolition was meant to sanitise the area.

According to Attah, residents and landlords had before hand appealed to the minister for the demolition, stating that the illegal structures at the roadside were obstructing the free movement of human and vehicles in the area.

“Mpape demolition is requested by the residents and landlords who came to FCTA, requesting the Minister, Muhammad Bello, to come and clear the road corridors.

“So, what we are doing is in line with the request of the people who want the road corridors to be reclaimed so that there will be ease of movement. As a responsible government, we responded to the cries of the people.

“The sanitation and demolition were long overdue and were targeted at roadside shanties and other unapproved buildings causing obstruction along the road

“We gave them enough notice, but many of them were basking in the euphoria that nobody can clear Mpape.”

Ikharo particularly expressed regreted that FCTA had been receiving a series of complaints from security agencies and strategic persons over the plights of Area 1 residents. He said the authority had no choice than to start pulling down the illegal structures.

“The FCT Administration will not allow shanties to take over Ministries of Interior and that of Trade and Investment with other key ministries.

“It would have been done since last year but because of the wet season we had to leave it till now, dry season. Even now it is not easy but we have to do it. We had warned them time without number to vacate the place”.

While dismissing the claims by owners of the illegal structures that they were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Borno state, he said the IDPs were few in number at the fringes of the Dunamis Church and near the main road.

Compensation for victims?

Blueprint Weekend gathered that sometime last year that the FCTA had through its Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, promised to compensate affected residents, shop owners and others whose property were demolished provided they had genuine grievances and complaints.

The permanent secretary, who made the promise in Abuja during a sensitisation campaign on removal of Illegal structures in the territory, further assured that the administration would look into their cases in due course.

“May I draw the attention of this important audience to the fundamental reasons that necessitated the relocation of the nation’s capital from Lagos to Abuja. Some of such include, unplanned urban layouts, indiscriminate construction of residential and commercial structures, among others.

“You will all agree with me that if not for constant and courageous operations in the enforcement of physical development in Abuja, the city would have become a major slum by now.

“FCT Administration will continue to operate within the ambit of all extant laws and regulations governing the physical planning and development of the FCT and will respect the rights of citizens, particularly the original Inhabitants,” he assured.

However, an insider in the administration, who didn’t want his name in the print because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, divulged to this medium that the issue of compensation would not arise because all the structures were illegal.

He said, “People decide to build on the road corridors and illegally occupy spaces only to start crying now. Look, they have been given notice before now, but they won’t listen and as long as they won’t stop building illegal structures, then the FCTA will keep demolishing as it is a continuous exercise.”