By Sarah NEGEDU
Authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Tuesday, stormed the the popular Karu Market to clear out shanties and other makeshift stalls constituting nuisance around the market.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, who led the operation at the market and environs, described the situation as very worrisome and disturbing, given the nightmarish experience motorists face daily, to pass through the Karu Market stretch of the Nyanya-Karu-Karshi road.
Recall that the officials of FCT Administration had carried out markings of illegal structures around the market, located in Karu, a major satellite town sitting on major road corridors, connecting the city centre to Old Karu, Orozo and up to Karshi satellite towns of the territory.
Officials of the FCTA therefore removed several umbrellas and attachments to shops inside the market, and set ablaze rubbles from the dismantled shanties.
Attah said the team will sustain the cleanup exercise in the area to ensure sanity on the road and free vehicular and human traffic in the area.
He adds: “It is very turbulent as people took half of the dual carriage road, to sell fresh fish, vegetables and others. That’s what took us there, and we have done it absolutely very well.
“For about five years, this illegality started developing strongly , it has not tasted our machines, so today it tasted the will of the FCT Minister to actually rid Abuja of illegality especially things that impede on traffic free flow and that is why today we are happy that people are excited that the road is free now.”
On how to sustain the clean up, Attah said “We are hopeful that we keep coming and checking the situation here, trusting that the Area Council that owns the market, which has been very supportive of this clean up will actually do well in keeping it under control, and with the support of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, they will do all they can to ensure that traders go into the market and other designated areas like the informer section, and keep the place clean and away from the road.”
Also speaking, Nbede Micheal, the Divisional Head, Planning, Land and Survey in AMAC, noted that before the removal exercise, the situation was bad, as shanties, lack of parking space and all manner of things are built in and around the market.
According to him, “One of the major issue here is trading activities, totally blocking the major express road on a daily basis. Thank God for the work done by the FCTA, as it is a work well done.
“But, we are going to put all measures in place to sustain the new outlook of the the market. We are going to station AMAC Marshalls to checkmate whosoever that is going to put anything on ground in the undesignated places within and around the market.
“Even though, we have a private developer, who is already handling the market, we will fence the whole market, so that we can together safeguard the market.”
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