Owners of plots at the Apo-Dutse pantaker site have been issued a month notice within which to develop their lands or have them revoked by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
The administration believes the plots needs to be urgently developed in order to avoid them being reclaimed by scrap dealers despite the huge resources used in evacuating them some weeks back.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah, who led a team on a mop up exercise at Apo-Dutse, lamented that after the administration spent the state resources to clean-up the market, most of the owners of plots in the site haven’t taken possession of their plots.
According to him, “We returned back to Apo-Dutse pantaker market after spending several days to remove the illegalities on plots of land. We are not too please that most of the allottees have not taken over their land. The Minister of FCT Malam Muhammad Bello, is unhappy, because most of the allottees have not taken over their land and he is spending state resources to do the clean-up exercise. What we are hearing is that some of the allottees are speculating with their land and this cannot continue.
“People who have gotten land in this place and are waiting for us to clear it should immediately report to Development Control, within the next one month. Not just fencing the land but also getting building plan approval and building on it. They should not leave the land vacant for too long, people are going to go in here.
“We would be recommending to the FCT minister that if in the next one month we do not see meaningful development in terms of fencing and ground breaking for structures them the minister should revoke the land.
“The only way you can get them to move out of here is for the plot owners to take over their plots and start development. As long as the plot owners are speculating then pantaker and miscreants will take over their plots.”
On relocating the scrap dealers from Apo-Dutse, Attah disclosed that the minister is considering that option and ask the dealers to exercise more patient.
The chairman Association of scrap dealer, Apo-Dutse pantaker market, Anas Ismail, maintained that his members are not regrouping as feared, but only there to move out their items.
He noted that the scrap dealers deal with so many items including cars, which will require some time to move.
He appealed to the FCT minister to consider their request of allocating a land to do their business, which has over 1,000 scrap dealers involved in various aspects of the business.
