By Favour Nnabugwu

Armed with a presidential directive to restore Abuja  master plan at all cost, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA says it would soon commence demolition of illegal structures, and shanties around the city especially in Lugbe axis of Abuja.

FCTA  Director of Development Control, Mallam Yahaya Yusuf  told Vanguard Homes and Property in  that the demolition exercise at Lugbe would be necessitated if the estates, shanties, shops among others  in that region fall short of the Abuja master plan restoration process.

The Director who warned owners of illegal structures across the city to remove their properties especially in Lugbe. He advised them to discontinue work on such buildings before the demolition team brings such structures down.

He noted that in as much as the FCT administration does not take pleasure in demolition and  removal of illegal structures in Abuja, the exercise would be a continuous one for as long as such properties fall outside the FCT master plan.

Yusuf  said that the Council would respect the rule of law with regards to court injunctions where they exist, but warned that any structure that was erected while the matter in court lasted would be pulled down after the pronouncement of judgment by the court.

“As a law  abiding department of government, we are waiting but the moment a decision is reached on it, those illegal structures and shanties in Lugbe will be removed especially those ones outside the  native village while provision is being made to gradually resettle the indigenes.”

“With regards to estates and mass housing projects that have come up in Lugbe axis,  we reached an agreement with the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, REDAN but that agreement was on both sides; that they are going to stop any further illegalities that the bulk of those estates constitute while we, on our side, would wait for the redesign of Lugbe that is being carried out by the Urban and Regional Planning Department to see how the estate fits in or not”.

He also stressed that estates that were built illegally would not be spared in the exercise noting that the restoration of the Abuja master plan was key to FCTA.

“It is the outcome of the redesign which will soon be ready that will determine what will happen to those buildings but where people during the intervening period, still continue with development in that area even when we have not got that redesign to integrate Lugbe into the city in place, we will still pull them down.

“Yes, we reached an agreement with REDAN that they would monitor their people to make sure that they do not continue along the line of any illegality while on our own part, we understand the fact that the whole essence of development is to promote it in an orderly way hence if a building is on ground  and we don’t know exactly if such a building is going to be acceptable within the framework of the new redesign that is being done, we may not pull it down.  However, we will wait for the frame work to see if it takes care of it and if it doesn’t take care of it, we will remove it”

He added, “If  the redesign does take care of it but requires some amendment here and there, we will ask for such amendment to be carried out  as a way of showing that we are involved in the synergy of ensuring that FCT is worthy of our pride”.

Continuing, Mallam Yusuf said: “We expect REDAN to tell their members to stay action on further developments until the redesign comes and if out of pressure of facilities developers took from banks and all that, they go back to work on site, it is unfortunate we will have to remove the structures”.

On his part, REDAN’s President, Chief Olabode Afolayan said that the body  has  harmonised its position with the government, noting that demolition exercised was usually informed by lack of adherence to land use and approval documentation from the relevant approving authority and illegal buildings on buffer zones.

He said such resolutions include the possibilities of both parties working harmoniously to advance better development within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The REDAN president agreed that some distortions may have been accommodated by his members,  “We have agreed to work together to correct a lot of mistakes. And when we say correction, it might require stopping of building projects or even minimal demolition if the building does not meet the land use in the new design that is being prepared to harmonise the affected Lugbe districts.

“We have agreed to work with the Urban and Regional Planning Department of the FCTA, which is redesigning the layout to jointly appraise the entire thing and we are doing that with all urgency it requires. The problem as identified is a lot on the part of the developers and some on the part of government”, he said.