The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued one-week ultimatum to property owners and traders around the Nyanya interchange to vacate the site, to ensure smooth running of the on-going construction works in the area.
The ultimatum was issued against the backdrop of the return of traffic gridlock, occasioned by the contravening structures on right of way of the busy road.
Making this disclosure, Chairman, FCT Traffic Management Team, Mr Ikharo Attah, said the vacation order, followed an on the spot assessment of the issues affecting the traffic in the area.
Stern order
Attah revealed that a stern order to immediately vacate the site have been given to owners of the affected structures that are mainly old structures made of mud.
This is especially to those who have received compensation for their property, and have been fully paid some months ago, in order for the road expansion work to go on.
According to him, the FCT traffic management team held an on the spot meeting with the Nyanya component made up large of the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Area Commander of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) and the Police DPO in the area.
He stated that the DPO of Nyanya, DPO of Karu, Unit Commander of the FRSC, DRTS Area Commander, Assistant Director, Enforcement of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Kaka Bello were on ground, together with the Directional Traffic Officers (DTOs).
According to him, “We were briefed by the Ministry of Works and what we saw was that the inbound road by the Nyanya Market, there are some areas where they have issues of compensation for one or two structures, which they are working on. But the outbound road around the Nyanya interchange, that’s coming from the city towards Mararaba, they have paid compensation fully, and the people are just waiting for them to come, and they don’t really want to do it.
“They are still just hanging and staying around that particular area, which is in contravention. So everyone who has collected compensation particularly around the Nyanya interchange, where you have the pantakers they should all vacate, because we will be clearing them very soon.
“We would be strongly be coming to remove them, because the Federal government through the Ministry of Works have paid them full compensation, so that the construction work can go on.
“We have told the owners, in clear terms that they should stop. And the road side trading must also stop as the traffic issue is getting worrisome, because traders want to trade on the road and we are pushing them back very strongly. We are giving them just one week. We had given several notices to actually quit, several months months after they have been paid compensation by the Ministry of Works.
“And we in the FCT that are suffering from the traffic bottlenecks occasioned by these people that have been paid, but refused to move, we are telling them to please move.
“The Ministry of Works have been giving them notices to quit, but we have given them our own to also quit the road side, so that the contractor can actually come in and do a good job, so we can have free flow of traffic as we are having at Airport and Kubwa roads“.
He said that failure to comply with the one week ultimatum, “we will remove the structures, because the structures have already been paid for. The Federal Government have paid them fully, and they have accepted it, and most of them have even moved away, but now rented the structures out, and are now collecting monthly payment from unsuspecting persons.
He said that because the Ministry of Works had not been able to go there and remove them, they keep collecting monthly rent from tenants and traders who rent some of the structures there.
Attah adds that they will go in there and clear them, and recover the right of way, so that the work can go on smoothly.
Lateefah Ibrahim
