Percy Onyeka
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), through the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), has commenced moves to reclaim it’s plot 1765, located at the Games Village, in Kaura district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Thursday, the council demolished a mechanic workshop and a building as part of it’s effort to reclaim the plot for the building of a housing estate for staff of the agency .
Speaking at the end of the demolition exercise, the director of administration and finance of the agency, Naziru Isa, explained that the demolition was carried out to reclaim the plot in its first attempt since three years ago.
Isa said the plot was allotted to AMMC in 2012, for the construction of its AMMC Senior Staff Housing Estate, adding that illegal settlers had obstructed the contractors when they made initial efforts to begin construction on the plot.
“What you have seen today is not a process that started and finished today. It has been there. It is an unfinished development or process which is accomplished today. Somewhere back three years now, the office wanted to take over its housing estate. But on going there on the ground, we met an illegal development on the plots.
There was a private school, run by a private person, a private business in short. And then there was also this mechanic workshop all on this land, Plot number 1765, and then it was duly served. The abatement notices were duly served by the site officers then and it was processed for enforcement. And then when it had gotten the approval for the enforcement, the office went and started the removal, then there was an outcry by the (Games Village) Association which halted the development, and a committee was formed.
He added that a committee had submitted its report after fact-finding missions to the plot, following which the Minister of the FCT, had approved the development of the housing development.
Also speaking, the Assistant Director of Urban Affairs at the AMMC, Abubakar Makama, stated that the reclaimed plot was allocated to the Council in 2012, by the then Minister of the FCT, Nasir El-Rufai, adding that the Council had previously issued quit notices, and acquired every necessary document, including its Right of Occupancy, and receipts and tellers from the Abuja Geographic Information System, justifying proper acquisition of the plot.
“We have served management of Games Village several notices before carrying out the demolition today, there are correspondences to justify our action. It is not a new thing, we started the demolition about four months ago, we only went there today to complete the exercise, and all the relevant documents are available. We must not forget that the issue has been on for three years”, he said.
DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA
