FCTA threatens to revoke abandoned plots in Wuye District
…as AMMC sensitizes ahead demolition
By: Wisdom Acka
Owners of undeveloped plots in parts of Wuye District in the Phase II of the Federal Capital City are advised to quickly develop them or risk revocation.
The Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Tpl Umar Shuiabu gave this warning, when he led the Ministerial Joint Taskforce on sensitization of Wuye residents ahead of its planned cleanup and demolition of illegal structures in that District, Wednesday.
His words: “We have many environmental, security and aesthetic challenges in parts of Abuja, including this area, and this calls for senitation of such places.”
He said, “Abuja is a planned and a beautiful city with world class infrastructure not seen in some countries, so we must not give anyone reason to question the sanity of this city”.
“We have constructed beautiful road network here buy what we can see is illegal use of the road by mechanics and hawkers, among others. This has rendered this road impassable. We want to remove this embarkment, and give opportunity to all citizens and plot owners to use this road,” he stressed.
According to him, “there are other places also where these scavangers have taken over, we will do whatever that is legally possible to clear them. It is not only here, but in every other part of the city where illegality exist, we will remove it, till the time we will have money to provide the infrastructure”.
Speaking on the risk of revocation of undeveloped plots, the AMMC boss said, the FCTA was going to revoke and reallocate to those who are willing and able to develop the area, “Instead of allowing it to lay fallow”.
“Instead of developing this land, they leave the land and make it turn into a challenge for the city management,” Umar emphasized.
The Coordinator said that the FCT Administration has already provided infrastructure and the plot owners have not taken over; adding, “we are going to give them final notice if they don’t develop, steps will be taken to revoke and give to those who are ready to develop”.
On his part, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Com. Ikharo Attah disclosed the “Minister went round the area and it was very clear what he wanted.
“He wanted a massive cleanup of the entire area around Utako motor park, along Tunde Idiagbon Way, shouldn’t have nothing of illegality considering what he stood for during his life, and it is an all-encompassing job, which comprises of illegal motor parks, truck parks, ‘babanbola’, illegal ‘Pantakers’, and others.
“The Minister also directed that all illegal structures and several contraventions that run short of AEPB Act and Regional Planning Act should be removed and cleaned up in line with the Abuja Master Plan”.
Ikharo assured: “In less than a week Utako will wear new look”.
Corroborating Umar on revocation, Ikharo said: “The Minister is very clear about it (revocation of undeveloped plots). He asked the Acting Director of Development Control to go with his team of town planners, inform and notify the plot owners take over their plots within a stipulated period, else the plots will be recommended to the Minister for revocation. We cannot have plots being a hide-out for criminals”, he also warned.
On his part, Head, Monitoring and Enforcement, AEPB, Kaka Bello explained that his team had served them notices, but was dissatisfied with the level of compliance.
