In an effort to restore the Masterplan of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, the FCT Ministerial Task team on City Sanitation took its demolition exercise to Dutse Makaranta, Sokale and Kubwa F01 axis of the Bwari-Dutse road, in the Territory.
In particular, owners and occupants of illegal structures including scavengers within these communities and along Bwari-Dutse road corridors played host to FCTA bulldozers, accompanied by security personnel attached to the Task team.
Some of the structures removed were illegal shops car wash marts and attachments belonging to E-Fountains Event Centre, Total Child Model Schools, Salvation Teaching Centre, and Khalad international Schools, located around Sagwari Layout and Sokale, in Dutse axis of the busy Bwari-Dutse road.
Also demolished were illegal pantaker dumpsite in Jabu layout within Kubwa FO1 as well as Nino prestige Lounge on waterways and road corridors in the area.
The leader of the Task Team, Mr Ikharo Attah, said all the properties affected had no appropriate title, but over the years were built heavily, and conscripted the road corridors, turning the place into notorious markets.
Attah explained that;“Since we started at Iddo, Mpape, Nyanya and even the city centre, we have not entered into Kubwa axis, and we have gotten so many calls to come to Kubwa and Dutse axis.
“Today, we came into Dutse-Alhaji and Kubwa axis, containing clear illegalities notoriously responsible for heavy traffic gridlock in the area. So we are here to actually clear this alignment, and remove all of these properties that breached the Abuja Masterplan.”
According to him, “We also took downward stretch towards Dutse Makaranta, which we could not finish removing much illegal structures around the alignment there, but we are hopeful, that we will actually come back to continue the cleanup exercise here.
“And we also went to clear some very terrible criminals’ den, where scavengers occupied inside part of Kubwa FO1 , removal of the structures is aimed at restoring the Abuja Masterplan, and all those who live in Kubwa here will be very happy, as the extreme gridlock that’s known to here will all disappear.
“It’s pathetic because everyone here got notice, but they just sat down, as they don’t care, and we can’t continue living like this.
” What pains me most is that we gave notice, and I even insisted that Development Control Department gave a second notice. So they gave first and second notice, but people them wiped off, believing that government would not come, and that’s paining me.“
Similarly, Secretary, FCT Security Command and Control Centre, Peter Olumuji, explained that; “This part of Kubwa FO1 is a new developing site which harbours a lot of scavengers.
“And this axis once it is 7pm, you can’t have thorough fair here, because hoodlums always attack anybody passing through this road, some few years ago, they killed a police man, and stabbed another there, using different dangerous weapons, that’s why we have come to rid the place such criminal elements there.”
Augustine Olorintoba, a landlord in Dutse Sokale, described the exercise as a very good development.
“Abuja has to be clean and decent, we landlords of Dutse Sokale are very happy, because most of our drainages have been blocked, and water is not going through.
“We appreciate the FCT Minister for his commitment to making Abuja clean. The area is looking fine, but one thing we will ask is to ensure that there is no roadside trading particularly around this Sokale junction because the activities are causing traffic gridlock here particularly in the night,“ he stressed.
PIAK
