By Ignatius Ushie
For Abuja to remain clean, safe and attractive as any other capital city in the world, it must maintain its master plan. It was based on these that the department of Development control on Wednesday moved into the Kpaduma area in Asokoro, a high brow area in the city capital to look at a way of restoring the master plan of the place.
Briefing journalist during the visit, Chief town Planner in FCTA, Mr. Hope Thompson, noted that most of the plot owners could not take possession of their land due to illegal developments on their corridors, they cannot take possessions of their plots, adding that plot owners have been notified by the FCTA Administration that any plot owner that cannot take possession and develop such land stand a chance of loosing the plot.
According to him, “you all know that recently the FCT Administration has sent signals to plot allottees that are positioned along the service corridors to take possessions else they stand a chance of being revoked”.
Responding to a question of the numbers of illegal structures within the area, Mr. Thomson said by their estimation, there were about 140 illegal structures on the corridors and must all be removed, hence a seven day notice has been issued to owners of such structures.
Thompson opined that the village has expanded beyond the former settlement and several meetings have been held with the community leaders but some people will still go ahead and purchase such lands and develop them illegally. As I said before, at the expiration of the notice which is by Monday, we will move in our machines and remove all these structures. I cannot speak on compensation, that is beyond my powers, but Abuja as a city capital must be safe for all and its master plan maintained.
Responding, an occupant of one of the shops who will not want her name on print said the Minister should temper justice with mercy and allow them some time to relocate, asked how long she feels they can relocate, she was not specific but pleaded for more time. As at the time of filing this report, there was no change of plan by the FCTA, meaning the heavy machines will land Kpaduma anytime soon.
In a related development, the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has charged the Association of Solid Waste Service and Cleaning Contractors to desist from using dilapidated vehicles in the course of their duties in the FCT. The Minister made this charge when he received a delegation of the Association led by its Chairman, Mr. Lawrence Agbasogba, on a courtesy visit to the FCT Administration.
Bello said most trucks used in the collection of refuse were rundown and usually constituted a nuisance to residents and other road users on the road. He urged the waste service providers to invest in waste collection and disposal trucks that are road worthy and clean, adding that their jobs of refuse collection and disposal will have little effect if the refuse are scattered once more on the street due to the use of dilapidated trucks. The Minister also revealed that the Administration will rehabilitate the access roads to dumpsites in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part of efforts to make easy the disposal of refuse in the Territory.
He assured that work on the roads would be concluded before the commencement of the next rainy season. According to him “We are lucky it is now the end of the rainy season, by the grace of God you will see changes there before the next rainy season”.
While chastising many of the solid waste service providers for not doing enough in their assignment of refuse disposal and city cleanliness, Malam Bello however commended those living up to the expectation of the Administration in the discharge of their assignment and providing service to residents despite the challengers they encounter.
