FCTA Seals Complex Over Illegal Change of Land Use

By: Wisdom Acka

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Wednesday sealed a 4-storey commercial complex on Plot 965 Adetokumbo Ademola Crescent in Wuse II District of Abuja for flagrantly deviating from the original building plan approval granted it.

This was discovered during inspection tour by officials of the Department of Development Control, who expressed shock that the construction site was filled with unregistered builders, supervising the infractions.

Director of the Department, Muktar Galadima, who ordered immediate seal off of the entire site, revealed that the building approval granted was specifically for a residential block of flats, but the developers illegally modified the plan, converting it to a commercial complex.

Galadima explained that efforts had been made in the past to stop the illegal development, but the developers disobeyed all the stop work notices and went ahead with the illegalities.

According to him, the builders supervising the project would be reported to their professional bodies, while the site remained sealed until the right thing was done.

He said: “From what we have discovered, they want to add a sit-out floor, which will mean an additional load. That is why we are taking this action, because when something happens, it is the authority that will be blamed.”

Explaining further, Deputy Director of the Department, Hauwa Tundunwada noted that the additional floor the developers were illegally constructing on top of the building was never part of the original plan, just like other infractions.

She added that the exercise would be carried out at other project sites to checkmate other illegal developments and ensure perpetrators are sanctioned accordingly.

Ganiu Ademola, one of the supervisors who claimed to be a graduate architect on the site, acknowledged that there had been a distortion from the original plan, but said the developers have the intention to seek variation approval from relevant agencies.