FCTA to demolish 10 duplexes on green areas in Wumba

By Ukpono Ukpong

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced plans to demolish no fewer than ten duplexes illegally erected on designated green areas in Wumba District, Abuja.

The affected buildings, currently at various stages of construction, were marked for demolition following findings that they encroached on land reserved for the development of a recreational centre.

Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Chief Felix Obuah, who gave the directive during an enforcement tour of Wumba, Utako and Katampe districts, vowed that the FCTA will not relent in its renewed campaign to remove illegal structures on green areas, waterways, and other protected lands across the capital.

Obuah, speaking at the demolition site, ordered officials of the Development Control Department to move in within 48 hours to pull down the structures, insisting that all contraventions on green spaces must be cleared to preserve Abuja’s master plan.

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“This is necessary, because the Minister has good intentions and is doing his best, so for those of us on the ground, it’s our responsibility to take action to support him.

“Our goal is to clear the waterways of any obstacles, including buildings and structures.

“What matters most is preventing the spread of misinformation and false prophecies. Regardless of the cost, it’s crucial that we prevent these issues. That’s our top priority. If we allow these illegal structures to remain, the entire areas will be flooded, causing suffering for many people.

“All the areas that people have contravened, by building illegally we are going to bring them down, and there is no going back as it is a continuous exercise”, the AMMC boss stated.

However, while at the Wumba District, the AMMC Coordinator, directed the officials of the Development Control Department to move in and remove houses marked for demolition within 48 hours for allegedly encroaching on a green area reserved for development of a recreational centre in the district, located near Abuja.

He said: “I asked him (the developer) to stop working, but he refused. The only language he will hear now is demolition. Everything you see here will go down.”

Similarly, at the Katampe District, Obuah, led his team of city managers to a site undergoing site clearance, where he revealed that the developer had been previously warned to stop work and present legal title documents for verification but defied the directive and continued building.

“When we invited the developer to provide legal documents for the activities he’s carrying out, we discovered there was no paper, no approval, no allocation.

“I’ve directed the developer to come to my office by 10 a.m. tomorrow for verification. If he fails to appear, we will move in with our machines and clear the area,” he warned.

He reiterated that the FCT Administration, under the leadership of Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, remains committed to restoring order and preventing unregulated development across Abuja.

“We are matching the Minister’s vision with action. Our job at AMMC is to sanitize the city, and we will not back down”, he stressed.

On his part, Director, Development Control Department, Mukhtar Galadima reaffirmed that his department had issued a 48-hour demolition notice to the developer in the Wumba District, as there was no approval, no allocation for such development.

He disclosed that the no fewer than ten duplexes at various stages of construction will be demolished in the area.

Not left out, AEPB Director, Engr. Osilama Braimah, noted that the consequences of illegal developments on green areas, go beyond building violations, as they threaten the city’s climate and public health.

“These hills and trees are supposed to cool the environment and help mitigate global warming, but instead, they’re being wiped out”, he said.