By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration, through the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, AMMC, has begun the reclamation of flood plains and water channels that have been encroached upon by individuals and developers.
Coordinator of the AMMC, Chief Felix Obuah, on Monday led heads of relevant agencies on a joint site visit to the Utako and Guzape areas of the territory, where recalcitrant developers were discovered to be raising buildings and culverts along waterways.
The coordinator, who marveled at the attempts by a developer to construct a concrete pavement over a river channel in Utako, vowed to track down the erring developer and prosecute them.
“We want this to serve as a lesson to other developers who take laws into their hands. Right today, we have mobilized equipment and materials and machines. They are right here. You witness it. Most of all those buildings that are not supposed to be, that do not have approval, will go down. And this is not only the one. Any other building that does not have approval, or that is built in a waterway, in a road corridor, it is no longer business as usual.”
Obuah, who was also infuriated by the level of encroachment into the floodplains by the developer of City Scape Estate Villa at Guzape District, said the FCT Administration will not fold its arms and watch developers risk the lives of subscribers.
Our correspondent gathered that the ‘As Built Approval’ issued to City Scape Estate Villa allows for the construction of 18 structures in the estate, but the developer encroached into the flood plain to develop 42 structures in all.
Obuah therefore ordered the immediate demolition of the illegal buildings and culverts on flood plains in both districts, stressing that the FCT Administration under the leadership of Nyesom Wike will not hesitate to go after any developer contravening town planning laws and building approval.
He also threatened to sanction district officers who compromise on their duties of identifying and reporting building contraventions before they become a challenge.
“We are no longer going to take chances with any officer. We don’t want to do this work. They have been paid their salaries. They have been taken care of. So there is no reason why the Minister of FCT, Chief Administrative Officer of the UK, is doing everything, having sleepless nights, to change the narrative of Abuja, while some grunt elements are busy sabotaging the effort. We can’t allow it. That is why we have invited all of you to see what we are seeing and do the needful.”
Reacting, the Director of Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, Engr. Osilama Braimah, condemned the altering of natural features of the areas.
“Apart from economic sabotage, one can actually see what is in terms of environmental sabotage. The civil servants have rules. We are going to go back to the rules and put the appropriate measures that any officer is going to have.”
On his part, the Director, FCT Parks and Recreation Department, TPL Chinemelu Echee, said it is rather unfortunate that in spite of public awareness on the impact of global warming, some individuals and developers still dare to tamper with natural order.
“I actually got a marching order to look into the activity, and then upon coming here we had to go back to the archives of the already approved design that was given to them. And upon checking the approval, we were kind of seeing some infractions that were not in alliance with what was originally given to them. As this place is, just on this part of the corridor of the plot, what was originally given to them to build on this particular area is 18 structures. But on ground, when we had to do a site analysis report with some of our town planners, we found that we were having about 42 buildings as against 18. So that led to our report through the coordinator and the director of building control to see that this is what we met on ground.”
