FCTA demolishes more illegal structures in Utako Motor Park

By: Wisdom Acka

The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Tuesday demolished more illegal structures in the ever busy Utako Motor Park in Abuja.

The operation was a continuation of demolition exercise aimed at restoring the Abuja Master Plan that has been infringed upon illegally by some property owners.

Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, Ikaro Attah, who led the exercise, said the essence of the clean up was to remove all illegal structures and restore the place to conform with its original master plan.

He also explained that most of the buildings failed integrity test and can not be allowed to stand because of contravention.

Attah stated that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, mallam Muhammad Bello has given the demolition team the mandate to restore sanity by removing all illegal structures to pave way for the new approved Utako Motor Park plan.

He said: “Yesterday, we removed the illegal structures and today we are removing those structures that are death trap because they have failed integrity test as well”; adding that the exercise is not limited to insecurity alone.

Attah urged those in the affected areas to assist FCTA by cooperating with the authorities to restore sanity, in line with the aspirations of the Abuja Master Plan.

The SSA expressed worry that scavengers have taken over the whole place, thereby impinging their operations.

However, one of the traders at the scene, Joy Johnson decried the demolition and described it as frustrating the common people.

According to her, “I didn’t feel good, other traders too are not happy. It is frustrating. We are very angry because we don’t know what the country is turning into, does it mean the government want us to be roaming the streets?”

Her words: “We deserve to be given two to three years demolition notice, how can people be treated this way”.