Residents of the Federal Capital Territory, have accused the Administration of being selective in the ongoing demolition exercises in the territory.
Particularly, some residents of Iddo Sabo community who spoke to some journalists who were on, an on the spot assessment of the community after the clean up, insisted that some structures belonging to big wings were left untouched by the FCT Ministerial Task Team on City sanitation.
Recall that about a month ago, FCT Ministerial Task Team on City Sanitation being led by Ikharo Attah, had dismantled illegal structures at Iddo Sarki and Sabo Iddo near University of Abuja (UniAbuja), permanent site.
A victim in the area, Samuel Amalu said, ” just came here two years ago, I bought the land from chief and we were not told that they were coming for demolition. I cried when my house was brought down but I later stop crying because doing such will not solve the problem.
“The house left here belong to chairman of PDP, and he said they can’t touch his house. According to him, he decided to remove his zinc because of the pain we are feeling, but leaving his house and demolishing the ones inside is not fair”
Another resident, Mrs Apollos Funmi asked why the PDP chairman’s house was spared when every other structure around his was pulled down.
“How comes that the PDP chairman’s house was spared, the demolition is not fair to the ordinary man.” she said.
Reacting, Chairman of the FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, dismissed the accusations as baseless and unfair, insisting that the administration has always applied the principle of human face while implementing it’s policies.
Attah, while maintaining that the cleanup operation is being carried out in phases, stressing that the supposed spared houses were only given time to evacuate their properties.
“I think it’s completely unfair for anyone to accuse the FCT Minister of being bias or partial. Which is not the case at all. It’s all about the policy of human face which we recognize here.”
Giving instances of such he said, “The day we went to Iddo Sabo, you all saw what played out there, we tried as much as possible to understand the people.
“What I can tell you is that the owner of that particular building pleaded with us very strongly that he is somewhat not as prepared as expected, in fact that he was in shock. And in line with the human face principle, we decided to give them time. We went in, finished the cleanup operation for that particular day and pulled out with a promise to return. The same thing played out when we went into Iddo Sarki where we went to the house of a particular widow but the councilor in that area appealed that we give her time so they can relocate her beyond the fence line so you see its all about human face and not bias. If you follow through all our operations, you will see we have been fair
“Though we haven’t returned to Iddo Sabo since the last operation we carried out in the community about two weeks ago, but that does not mean we are biased and will be unfair to judge us as being bias.
“If you know the FCT Minister can vouch for him that Malam Mohammed Musa Bello, will be the last man to be partial. Even if Attah is partial, the minister will not be partial and that’s just the honest truth about it, and we must set the records straight,” he explained.
Nnenna.O
