CONTROVERSY has continued to trail the ruling of an Abuja High Court, over whether the Federal Capital Territory Authority, FCTA, has the right to demolish illegal structures in the Mpape district of Abuja. While the FCT insists that the court upheld its right, the residents claim that the court did not.

It will be recalled, that those identified as squatters had gone to court to challenge the decision by the FCTA to demolish the illegal structures. This was sequel to the resolve of the ministry to proceed with the exercise when it became abundantly clear that the squatters were resisting several appeals to quit on their own.

From available evidence, the FCTA, even within the minister’s office, has been jubilating over the court victory. Such a response is predictable given the controversy generated by the ministry’s decision.

Well being of Nigerians

To make matters worse for the squatters, opponents of the ruling party and sundry groups had mischievously played up the emotional card through sustained efforts to paint the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, as a heartless land-grabber intent on dispossessing innocent Nigerians of their land for self-serving reasons. So, it is understandable that the FCT leadership is heaving a sigh of relief; at least, for now. But what sort of relief is this?

For at the root of the matter is the well-being of Nigerians. No matter from whatever angle it is considered, this imminent eviction of Nigerians from their abode is a tragedy of monstrous dimensions. With a nation beset by several serious problems of human development, the even bigger tragedy lies in our penchant to play politics with serious matters affecting the welfare of our people. Rather than that, I hold the view that the impending demolition of the illegal structures should call for some sober reflection by all. It is not as if this will be the first demolition exercise in Nigeria. On the contrary, all over the country, state governments are wrestling with Nigeria’s version of Europe’s Roma phenomenon: helpless squatters who make any open space their home! In Lagos and Rivers states, controversy trailing demolitions of illegal structures has become a way of life. Even in Abuja, how could we forget, so soon, the unprecedented demolition exercises carried out by the FCT Administration under the indefatigable Nasir el-Rufai? Paradoxically, much of the success of the el-Rufai administration derived from that exercise! That being the case, we owe it as a nation to seek to unravel and address the root causes of this unfortunate dilemma: why would families willfully sentence themselves to inevitable homelessness or at best, discomfort?

To understand this puzzle, we need to start from the premise that most people have some sense of dignity and worth. If that is the case, we can conclude that the recourse to squatting could only arise from extreme poverty.

To wit, smart local chiefs or village heads, sensing the desperation of these gullible groups-mostly stranger elements- then proceed to swindle them by allowing them to build on property vested in government only to turn away when the long arms of the law descend on the victims. Curiously, most people never learn from history.

It is one of those ironies of life that FCT Minister Bala Mohammed, as someone who had previously been compelled to live in the backwaters of Abuja, should now find himself in the position where he has to administer the bitter pill of demolition to squatters. But the question is: is there no better way of handling the problem? Let’s make no mistake about it; the challenge of meeting the housing needs of Nigerians has continued to nudge at the heart of public policy and consciousness without resolution. It does not give any comfort that this is a global phenomenon.

Given the promise that electricity supply will soon be stable, it is expected that moribund industries will jerk back to life while new ones will emerge to put Nigerians back to work, a prerequisite for an efficient mortgage system. Before we get there, for now, the FCDA will most likely proceed with the planned demolition once the coast is clear. To imagine that over 10, 000 houses have been marked for demolition is mind-boggling. But that in itself reveals the magnitude of the lawlessness that we have to grapple with. With over 10, 000 illegal structures, pray, how do we achieve the eco-balance to make for healthy living?

With over 10, 000 illegal houses, how do we strike a balance between social amenities and unplanned growth? With over 10, 000 illegal structures, is it a surprise that the satellite towns have been turned into shanties with population spilling over into the city centre as street hawkers, beggars and sundry miscreants? Is it also surprising that the Mpape and similar shanties have become a haven for criminals thereby aggravating the already serious security situation in the country?

Paradoxically, the Mpape scenario raises serious questions of governance and competence. Mpape, ditto other shanties, did not spring up overnight. Nor did it drop from the moon. It could have taken years to evolve. It won’t be out of place therefore, to ask some pertinent questions: where were officials of the development control department these past twenty or more years as these illegal shanties mushroomed all over the federal capital territory? Is it possible for a stranger to simply begin to erect a permanent structure without the support of someone in authority, by whatever name that authority is defined? That being the case, is it not possible to identify these collaborators not only to assuage the hurt of those swindled but to guard against future occurrence? If we insist on these questions, it is not because we are not aware that some Nigerians can be extremely lawless; it is because as former President Olusegun Obasanjo once said, it is difficult for a stranger to steal from the ceiling of a house if there is no inmate to hold the ladder! Who are those ‘inmates’ holding the ladder in the Mpape illegal land deals?

Infrastructural projects

Of late, it has become clear that the Goodluck Jonathan Administration is leaving no stone unturned in its determination to bequeath to the country a federal capital that everyone can be proud of. This is evidenced in the spate of infrastructural projects in both the city centre and the satellite towns. On-going projects such as the Abuja Light Rail Network, the Abuja World Trade Centre, the ingenious land swap arrangement which ground breaking is imminent and the provision of engineering infrastructure to the satellite towns are positive indicators of sustained growth. It can therefore be argued that if demolishing the shanties will complement the security and aesthetic requirements of a modern capital city, so be it.

Yet, whatever the legitimacy of the looming demolition, as we are always inclined to say, government should have a human face. This calls to action Bala Mohammed’s humane disposition, a virtue that has often been misconstrued for weakness but which indeed represents a correct reading of the compassionate disposition of his principal, President Goodluck Jonathan.

In this regard, therefore, how much leeway do the squatters have to make some quick adjustment, even as their lives are being shattered by their own acts of indiscretion? How does government enforce order, uphold legitimacy while simultaneously taking care of the welfare needs of its erring citizens? That is the challenge for all Nigerians including the federal ministry of housing. That is the enduring metaphor posed by the Mpape district of Abuja.

By Emma Agu writes from Abuja