Thursday, September 23rd, 2021

FHA Transfers Mechanic Village And Market Land To Local Government

- Illegal occupants to be duly sanctioned

The journey of over 15years finally became a reality when the Zonal Manager, Federal Housing Authority, Southwest region, Arc. Akitoye as directed by the Managing Director, FHA Hon. Gbenga Ashafa handed over the landed properties to the Executive Chairman, Engr. Dr. Valentine Buraimoh for development and distribution to appropriate beneficiaries.

Speaking on behalf of the Managing Director, FHA, Arc. Akitoye said, "We are very much aware of the critical role these two institutions play in the economy of the state and by extension the nation. To this end, it is only expedient that we provide an enabling environment for the trades to thrive".

The Council Chairman commended the Managing Director for his visionary undertaking of handing over the land. He promised to quickly call a stakeholders meeting for necessary action in the interest of developing the property for its statutory provision.

The Residents Association, FTRA's central executive led by Mr. Shola Fakorede were present to witness the handing over ceremony.
The lands are situated at the 1st avenue/6th avenue end of Festac

naptu2:
However, there's something that makes me happy about this Festac situation. It means that a massive problem has been solved. Governor Fashola began the process of solving it, but I don't think it was actually solved during his tenure.


What's the problem?

Festac Town has suffered greatly and a lot of illegal activities have occurred there because of disputes between the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government and the Amuwo Odofin Local Government. There was actually a time that the Lagos State Government practically abandoned the place.


The Estate was built by the Federal Government to provide accommodation for people that were attending the Festival of Black Arts and Culture (FESTAC). It was then allocated to civil servants after the festival. That means that it is owned by the Federal Government and administered by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA).

However, the FHA is in far away Abuja and it has got a lot of other things to worry about. It basically neglected Festac Town.


The Lagos State Government is closer to the residents of Festac, but it does not own the estate, so what it can do about conditions in the estate is limited. Furthermore, when residents cried out to the Lagos State Government, it replied that the residents should pay land use charge. The residents refused to pay land use charge because they said that the estate is owned by the Federal Government. This was a huge issue and it was almost like a war during the Marwa, Tinubu and Fashola administrations.

People that live there often blame the chairmen of the Amuwo Odofin Local Government, but I know people in the past two administrations of that local government and they say that there's little that they can do because the place is administered by the FHA.

Festac Town was one of the best planned places in Nigeria, but it is now a mess.

The problem was so bad that Governor Fashola convened a peace meeting between the Lagos State Government, the FHA, the Amuwo Odofin Local Government and the residents association in order to find a solution.

If you read my thread you'll notice that it was the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) that invited the Lagos State Task Force to carry out the demolition. They are finally cooperating and working together!

CrazyGranddad:
So all those Igbo owned houses on the new site has to be destroyed?

Issorait.

Vireani79:
Thieves
The land is gone
Festac na hot cake
They will allocate it to tinubu
And dats the end of the story

naptu2:
I remember when I went to Festac Town and Satellite Town in the late 1970s. Festac Town was brand new and it was a well planned area. Can you believe what it has become now?


Festac Town is one of two places in Lagos (that I know) that has a proper sewage disposal system. It had underground drains, underground cables, etc. Yet look at what it has become.


People build on floodplains and sewage lines and then blame government when the area is flooded. Emergency mechanic sheds are built on marshland which is meant to serve as a natural drain to absorb excess rainwater. How won't there be problems? Yet people blame government when these illegal structures are demolished.


https://www.nairaland.com/6604151/lagos-fha-demolishes-agboju-market#6604151.1

naptu2:
The other place in Lagos that has a proper sewage treatment plant is 1004 Estate. The plant is on the other side of Ozumba Mbadiwe Road and the treated water is emptied into the Five Cowrie Creek.


(Nigerians, as usual, wanted to do something similar to what they did in Festac Town in Abuja. People were actually building on sewage lines and green areas. Thank God for El-Rufai, it would have been a disaster. As my friend said back then, "They would have turned it into another Lagos" ).

naptu2:
Ehen! This has finally reminded me of something that I wanted to post about years ago. The gutters in Lagos!


Apart from (as I said) Festac Town and 1004, which have proper sewers, everywhere else in Lagos has open gutters. Those gutters often get clogged and they stink.

I'm sure that everybody knows about the problem of people throwing trash into the gutters, but that's not the only problem that affects those gutters. There's one other major problem that almost everybody is guilty of and which people don't really think about. That's the channelling of household waste water into the gutters.


People channel water from their bathrooms and kitchens into those gutters, but that's not what they are meant for. Those gutters are rain gutters and they are only meant to drain rain and flood water, not the water from your bathroom and kitchen.

You'll agree with me that there is a huge difference between the viscosity of rain water and the water from your bathroom and kitchen (which have been contaminated with soups, oils, soap suds, etc.). The water from your bathroom and kitchen is obviously much thicker and this affects the ability of the water in the gutter to flow freely. Furthermore, the water from your bathroom and kitchen obviously stinks way more than rain water.


You might ask, since the rest of Lagos does not have a proper sewage system, where is the water from your bathroom and kitchen meant to go? Well, it's meant to be channelled into your soakaway. The soakaway is the sewage system for the rest of Lagos.

naptu2:
I think this article (and picture) is from 2017, but I'm not sure.


There are 2 people in the picture below that were very good friends right from when they were kids or teenagers. One of them was elected into a position and when his tenure ended, he backed the second one to succeed him. However politics happened. They became opponents and one of them even accused the other of sponsoring thugs to attack him.

FESTAC: FG embarks on $54m central sewage Project.

The Federal Government, through the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, is negotiating with a South African’s firm for the restoration/ rehabilitation of the 27-year-old central sewage system of its foremost housing estate in Nigeria, Festac Town Phase 1 in Lagos.

The estate, which was once the pride of the nation at its inception in 1977, is now a shadow of itself, following enormous degradation of its infrastructure and living environment 40 years after. According to the Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Professor Mohammed Al-Amin, the federal authority has identified good consultants for the upgrade of facilities in Festac Town, starting with the estate’s damaged central sewage system.

The managing director, who spoke to New Telegraph in Lagos, yesterday, said the restoration of Festac’s central sewage system, which consultants said would cost $54million, has become imperative in order to avert looming epidemic in the residential estate. He disclosed that the South African company would be bringing in finance and technology for the central sewage system’s reticulation, adding that the consultants with staff of FHA has taken a tour of the facility and identified areas of serious intervention.

Al-Amin said: “The Federal Government has consulted a South African company , which will be bringing in finance and technology for the central sewage system’s reticulation. The firm said it would cost $54million but part of the fund we be borne with residents.

https://festaconline.com.ng/festac-fg-embarks-54m-central-sewage-project/

naptu2:

naptu2:



Reactions.

Lagos FHA demolishes Agboju market, buildings in FESTAC as traders, artisans lament

Chike Olisah by Chike Olisah. June 14, 2021

A Lagos State Government Task Force, on Sunday, demolished the popular Agboju Market, shanties and other illegal buildings on Buffa Zone in Festac Town, leaving some traders, artisans and others with a lot of disappointment and sorrow.

The task force, in collaboration with the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), demolished over 100 shops, shanties and other buildings at the place which is located on 2nd Avenue, Festac Town.

According to a report from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), traders, mechanics and other artisans operating in the area counted their losses as bulldozers turned their goods, stores and workshops into rubbles.

The report says that while some traders and artisans hurriedly moved out some of their wares and tools, many of them could not adding that some churches operating at the place were seen removing their property, the roofs and gates in case of demolition.

The FHA was reported to have given the affected occupants a notice of the demolition a week ago.

What some of the affected occupants are saying

The Vice President, Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association (NATA), Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Mr Isaac Kadiri, described the demotion as a disaster as the government had not made available an alternative place.

Kadiri said, ”We believe that if the government wants to chase us away, it should give us an alternative but it just gave us seven days’ notice to leave. We had an alternative place at 6th Avenue that was given to us by FESTAC Town Residents Association and Federal Housing Authority but the place is not ready.

We put the access roads here, but look at what we are losing. We have lost more than 100 million here. What we have lost here we can’t gain back. We have mechanics, battery chargers, vulcanisers, panel beaters and painters as our members.

We were served the seven days’ ultimatum through Lagos State Task Force, which claimed FHA invited it to carry out the demolition.”

He, therefore, called on the government to urgently provide an alternative place for the artisans and others affected by the demolition.

He said, “We want the government to give us a place where we can earn our living. If it says the site is ready tomorrow, we will move. We were paying rent to Amuwo Odofin Local Government. We are paying tax to Lagos State Government. We pay rent of N10,000 each, per annum. We are more than 5,000 artisans.”

An affected occupant, a panel beater and painter, Mr Hamad Tijani, said: “When we got here, it was just bushes and swamp; nothing was here but we sand-filled the place and many people are benefitting from here now. Government should help us as citizens of this country, there is no place for us to go.”

A mechanic. Who was also affected, Mr Fatai Onidolu, alleged that the place allocated to the artisans by FHA at 6th Avenue had been sold.

He said, “So where do they want us to go now? They gave us seven days’ notice which is too short to find an alternative. Why are they treating us this way?”

What you should know

It can be recalled that earlier in the year, the Lagos State Government intensified its collaboration with the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) on the restoration of FESTAC Town and addressing the degeneration of its infrastructure.

This move is seen as part of joint efforts aimed at resolving cases of illegal structures such as unapproved constructions and all forms of attachments within the estate adding that they hope to address the challenge of excessive property development and lack of facility in the housing estate.