FCT PLANS TO DEMOLISH 3000 HOUSES

JULY 11 2011

The planned demolition of illegal estates in Abuja has pitched the Federal Capita Territory Administration (FCTA) against estate developers. Musa Simon Reef reports on the subtle war over the planned exercise.

The Development Control Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is set to pull down no fewer than 3,000 houses constructed along President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Way. The planned demolition, according to a source, followed what an insider described as the springing up of many illegal estates along the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX).

Ahead of the planned demolition, Blueprint reliably learnt, the control unit has commenced verification of the houses constructed by no fewer than 20 estates, which the FCTA described as illegal. A staffer of the unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confided in this reporter that taking into consideration the violation of relevant laws by estate developers in the nation’s capital, the FCTA has no option than to commence demolition of the structures.
According to the worker, “We are talking about no fewer than 3,000 housing units built without building plan approval. If the authority does not move fast and put an end to this illegality, other developers would be encouraged to do same and Nigerians would be duped of their hard earned money.”
“Of grave concern,” according to the source, “is the issue of numerous estates springing up along Airport Road. It is not only illegal houses that are sold; plots are also sold to desperate people whose papers are simply forged. It is criminal.”

The FCTA recently expressed concern over the construction of illegal estates and warned that measures have been put in place to demolish the structures. To actualise its threat, the Development Control recently embarked on the demolition of Liberty Estate in Lugbe and warned estate firms against embarking on housing projects without approval.
A source told Blueprint that most of the estates affected are along the Airport Road. Investigation by this reporter has revealed that no fewer than 20 estates have sprung up in recent time.
According to a source, “Many estate developers have not obtained approval to do what they are doing. They are simply taking advantage of their closeness to top officials in the presidency and some members of the National Assembly. We know that they are simply conniving with some bad eggs in the system to dupe unsuspecting Nigerians.”

The FCTA recently issued a caveat on the construction of illegal estates, warning Nigerians to be wary of the activities of firms involved in the construction of houses in Abuja.
The announcement on the planned demolition of illegal estates has sparked off a round of controversy between the FCTA and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) over who should exercise the right of granting building plan approval. A source at AMAC accused the FCTA of mischief in frustrating Nigerians who have invested billions of naira in the estate business.
According to a statement by the FCTA, “The Federal Capital Territory Administration hereby alerts government agencies, private developers and unsuspecting members of the public to beware of fraudsters luring them into buying estate houses and plots in unrecognised layouts with fake area council allocation papers and backdated building plan approvals between Lugbe and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, along the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX), Kuje Road, Bwari and Gwagwalada.

“The public is hereby cautioned against patronising the fraudsters as the plot allocations and developments in such estates are illegal since there has never been any official layout for estate beyond the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) land at Lugbe and the Malaysian Garden along OSEX.”
Warning people to be guided against attempt to lure them into buying houses and plots, the FCTA warned: “Any individual or corporate body involved in any land racketeering or fake building plan approval in these areas will be arraigned before the anti-graft agencies for trial while designers and supervisors of such projects, in addition to this, be handed over to their professional bodies for further disciplinary actions.
“Meanwhile, the Department of Development Control has been directed to sustain the removal of illegal structures within all affected layouts and estates. No compensation shall be paid on any structure removed from such estates.
The implication of the caveat, according to sources, is that many estates along the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Way are illegal and would soon be pulled down in conformity with the warning from the FCTA. Apart from the FHA Estate in Lugbe that has a building plan approved, the source added, many estates are set to be demolished if the government goes ahead with its threat.

“Let me tell you that the Development Control unit is serious in carrying out its threat. I can confirm to you that we have been under serious pressure to withdraw the caveat, but the authorities are not ready to bow down to any form of pressure. We know what we are up against, but we cannot be intimidated,” said a top official of the unit penultimate Thursday.
Illegal estates

From the caveat on illegal estate and structures, residents and owners of houses in affected estates have become jittery, with some debunking the threat from the FCTA. A woman, who secured a mortgage to purchase a house in Aso Estate in Lugbe described the threat as something that would soon pass.
“Where were they when the estates were built? Are they saying that Nigerians have no right to own their houses? What the FCTA wants is simply to revoke plots allocated by AMAC. There is no way they can do that? Do they think that this is another Chika, Piwoyi, Kuchigoro or Pyakasa? They are simply joking,” She fumed.

Some of the estates described as illegal by the FCTA’s caveat include the Aso Estate, Philkruz Estate, Leverpool Estate, Shelter Millennium Estate, Wisdom Estate, Trademore Estate, Palm Height Estate, Cowries Court Estate, Graceland Estate, Waltermann (Evergreen) Estate and Fort Royal Estate.
A staffer of Fort Royal Homes, who identified himself as Yinka, dismissed allegations that the estate did not obtain a building plan approval. Debunking the allegation as “a rooster and bull story,” he said no reputable estate firm, could embark on such construction without obtaining a building approval.
“I can authoritatively inform you that we got all the necessary approvals before embarking on this construction. All our papers are complete. Maybe somebody wants to be mischievous on the matter.”

When asked where they obtained the building plan approval before commencing construction, the worker said, “The fact is that we obtained a building plan approval before we started this project. Anybody saying that we are building illegally is not telling you the truth. We do not have any form of fear as our papers are complete.”

At the Aso Estate, a resident who gave his name as Emma said he heard news of the planned demolition as rumour., adding, “Unfortunately, this is a government that has no plan to provide houses for its citizens, but is only interested in pulling down houses. These estates have approvals from AMAC and if there is problem with their approvals; the FCTA should simply regularise the papers and allow them to be.
“It is not possible to demolish these estates. They are simply sending fears down the spines of people to frighten them. I am sure they are only joking and I hope it remains a joke.”

At AMAC Housing Estate, ACO, a source said that the original building plan of the estate has been abused, with mini estates built in the project. The source revealed that plans are on stream to review and remove illegal structures that were not initially approved by AMAC when the building plan approval was given.
“As the unit responsible for the orderly development of the nation’s capital, we cannot fold our arms and allow illegal structures to spring up unchallenged. We shall soon embark on cleansing the Abuja master plan. It is only by so doing we can get rid of these illegal buildings that have defaced the estate,” said an official of Development Control.

The source explained that some estate developers are conniving with some officials of AMAC to backdate approvals of building plans to commence development. “It is this illegality that has caused the problem. If the estate developers got approvals 10 years ago to commence construction, and they are just starting now, they ought to revalidate these approvals with Development Control for proper documentation.

Estate developers kick
Following the threat by FCTA to commence demolition of structures, estate developers have cried out against the planned action of the government, saying it would negate the vision of providing houses for Nigerians.
An official of the Estate Developers Association, who craved anonymity, said the FCTA is simply attempting the impossibility, adding that where FCTA suspects a building plan approval has been forged, the best option is to approach AMAC for clarifications and not bring in politics on the matter.
“You should note that before the former minister, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, expunged the rights of area councils to allocate plots and grant approvals on building plans, all area councils in the FCT were involved in allocating lands in the territory. You should also note that the area where these estates are located were once under the control of AMAC.

“Would you now nullify the actions of AMAC and other area councils that granted plots and approvals for structures? I think Development Control has a hidden agenda and that unit should be queried,” the estate developer said.
On allegations by the FCTA that the approval for these estates are granted from the backdoor through the active collaboration of workers at the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS), the estate developer said the FCTA was only finding an excuse to justify its planned demolition along the Outer Southern Expressway.

“Let me tell you the truth, the FCTA has suddenly realised that the Airport Way has become a prime area of attraction for the big men and they want to take control of plots earlier allocated by AMAC. We understand that very soon the FCTA will revoke all the plots that were allocated by AMAC. We saw it during the era of El-Rufai, and we have been made to understand that the FCTA is planning a repeat scenario of the El-Rufai days.
“El-Rufai demolished buildings in Pyakasa, Aleita, Piwoyi, Chika and other towns along the Airport Road in 2006 and 2007, but ended up allocating the plots to big people. Go to Pyakasa and Piwoyi, a plot in these areas now costs not less than N5 million. The nation’s capital bureaucrats have run short of plots and they now want to confiscate plots along the Airport Road. That is the simple truth of the matter,” the source alleged.
‘Development Control carries out orders’

Efforts to get the director of Development Control, Malam Yahaya Yusuf, to comment on the issue failed, as he was said to be having meetings. A text to his phone was not responded just as he did not answer his phone when this reporter called him over a period of two weeks.
Spokesman of the Development Control, Ifeanyi Ughamadu, told Blueprint that the department is set up to sanitise the master plan.
On the planned demolition of structures, Ughamadu said the caveat issued by the FCTA was self-explanatory and does not need any interpretation.
“We are only following orders and directives,” he said.



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/aug/19/national-19-08-2011-016.html





http://blueprintng.com/index/2011/07/fcta-set-to-demolish-3000-houses/

HAKIR
onivehu2000@yahoo.com
08069585568

i see a controversy here, seem like agitating whose body to owe the license to issue land in abuja,

4 their pocket

the best of land in abuja with a 2 eyes close sleep is that of FCT e.g in phase 1 (maitama, asokoro, wuse, garki), phase2 (katampe, wuye, utako, apo, jabi, durumi, dakibiu etc), phase 3 (lifecamp, karimu, dape etc), phase 4 (okanji, kabusa, pyakassa etc).

AMAC lands are kind of headache, you dont know the true stand of things, this is because FCT supersede AMAC in all ramification.

always check at DEVELOPMENT CONTROL before you buy any area council land for:

1. if it is approveable by the authourity

2. if the layout is recognised

and dont forget to always check at ABUJA GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (AGIS) for:

1. land authenticity

2. double allocation

Those crazy people let them demolish the whole fct and aso villa if they like,but one day they are sure to vacate power and judgement will befall them.those glamouring for goodluck jonathan as president are now seing the monster he rily is, rest in peace umaru yar adua i know why u never trusted the man jona.

instead of making new roads , ahhh what a pity. [img]http://2.s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]
[img]http://s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]

martinseme:

Those crazy people let them demolish the whole fct and aso villa if they like,but one day they are sure to vacate power and judgement will befall them.those glamouring for goodluck jonathan as president are now seing the monster he rily is, rest in peace umaru yar adua i  know why u never trusted the man jona.

How could you be this myopic in your fact-less reasoning, Abuja is the face of Nigeria and if you think illegal structures will be allowed in the FCT  like the rest of the states in Nigeria then you are misleading, Abuja has a master plan and it has to be followed. What has GEJ got to do with that?

not again

It is happening again

How can people build whole estates without permit? Na wa o.

blank:

How can people build whole estates without permit? Na wa o.

Their plan is to make FCT look like onitsha

people dont learn, why build where your not supposed to build. they should demolish, and charge them for the demolishing too, stop wasting tax payers money,

kkk

Hi Hakir, Hope u cool? HoWw's d family? Pls i need ur immediate attention regarding a property for sale in Abuja.
Contact me via my email seunbballoo7@yahoo.co.uk, I sent you a message on facebook as well!!

Insert Quote

the best of land in abuja with a 2 eyes close sleep is that of FCT e.g in phase 1 (maitama, asokoro, wuse, garki), phase2 (katampe, wuye, utako, apo, jabi, durumi, dakibiu etc), phase 3 (lifecamp, karimu, dape etc), phase 4 (okanji, kabusa, pyakassa etc).

INVEST WISELY. Invest with us and rest assured that your deal is authentic and approved.

we currently have plots behind Trademore Estate PYAKASA DISTRICT for sale. N2m only.

contact us now akmatics090@yahoo.com

this is serious, people have spent all their lives savings getting plots and building in these estates, well the abuja master plan has to be adhered to. its better to invest wisely,

Please house what is the true position of the demolition in lugbe along Airport road, there is a friend of mine that wants to buy land in one of the Estates.

Please

FCT PLANS TO DEMOLISH 3000 HOUSES

Estates

Happy Sunday

FCT PLANS TO DEMOLISH 3000 HOUSES

The FCTA recently expressed concern over the construction of illegal estates and warned that measures have been put in place to demolish the structures. To actualise its threat, the Development Control recently embarked on the demolition of Liberty Estate in Lugbe and warned estate firms against embarking on housing projects without approval.

according to a source, followed what an insider described as the springing up of many illegal estates along the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX).

The planned demolition of illegal estates in Abuja has pitched the Federal Capita Territory Administration (FCTA) against estate developers. Musa Simon Reef reports on the subtle war over the planned exercise.

FCT PLANS TO DEMOLISH 3000 HOUSES

FCT PLANS TO DEMOLISH 3000

Ahead of the planned demolition, Blueprint reliably learnt, the control unit has commenced verification of the houses constructed by no fewer than 20 estates, which the FCTA described as illegal