Kugbo Int’l Market: Wike Orders Demolition of Enchroachments

By: Wisdom Acka

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has directed the department of Development Control to demolish all enchroachments on road corridor behind the Kugbo International Market, Abuja.

Wike gave the directive when he visited the market for inspection, Wednesday.

He said: “And there are a lot of problems, there is encroachment, and I have directed the Development Control department to immediately demolish anything that is going to cause an impediment”.

“This is a road corridor and we will not allow that, and Development Control Director is here, he has been instructed to move in with his men to remove whatever is an obstacle”, he said.

Commenting on the market, which is on a Public-Private-Partnership arrangement being handled by the Abuja Investment Company Limited, an investment arm of the FCT Administration, Wike stated that an international market of such standards should be encouraged.

The Minister, however, expressed disagreement with the sharing formula for proceeds from the market, indicating that the Administration was being shortchanged.

His words: “We have a stake, the land belongs to the FCTA, and then the company invests. I hear there is a sharing formula, which is not acceptable to me from the first instance. I have directed the Managing Director to see that they meet with the investor, to see how we can have an amendment that would be suitable to all of us.”

The Minister called on the investor to put in more financial resources to complete the project on time so that roadside traders would be relocated to the market to free up traffic on the Abuja-Nyanya axis.

He stated that the FCT Administration would do everything necessary to support the residents; adding m, “We would do everything we can to support people. Those who have indicated interest, we’ll see how through empowerment programme of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ in the FCT, we will assist them.”

“We will see whether we can also put in some funds, by taking some stuffs and giving it to our people, in order to be involved in one thing or another. So we will do everything to see that people move into this market as quickly as possible,” he added.

Commenting on high costs of the shops, the Minister explained that Nigeria was not running a socialist economy so investors would not be compelled to give out their investments for free.