GAINS OF DEMOLITION IN THE FCT

GAINS OF DEMOLITION IN THE FCT
Patrick Osadebamwen

Prior to the appointment of the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the city which was patterned after the best cities of the world was dotted with unpleasant sights of uncompleted building. When he moved against these structural eyesore victims cried out, today the impact proves to be a good cleansing.

Asokoro and Maitama are undoubtedly the choicest parts of town in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. The lure to these parts of town is premised on the availability of infrstructure that supports a befitting neighbourhood. Life in these areas reflects that of a people with appealing taste. It is obviously being sustained by their earnings. These highbrow areas are quiet and pleasing. A similitude of this reality extends to some parts of Wuse and Garki. Utako, another district also shares these attractions.
The beauty of these parts in the FCT was dotted with some bad spots. These spots resulted from the inability of their respective owners to complete their buildings for occupation. They constituted some issues: the manner in which they sprouted at various strategic parts to incompletion all over FCT defaced the aesthetics of the city. Also, it raised security concern to both the residents of these areas and the FCT administration.
Besides the spoilage of FCT’s aesthetics, it became a ready habitation that bred miscreants and other social misfits who found ready hideouts for themselves. Many of them took advantge of the situation and unleashed their vices on the immediate environment and its neigbouring areas. Thefts and prostitution thrived. Although there were other law abiding citizens whom the economy forced to take temporal refuge in this uncompleted buildings, before they could recover and relaunch themselves. The activites of these miscreants made their stay in these places intolerabe both to the residents and themselves.
This situation prevailed, Inspite of the problems these uncompleted building constituted to the residents, it was clear that successive administration lacked the will to correct the anomaly. At that point, it appeared the situation had come to stay all to the displeasure of residents whom at any excuse pointed accusing fingers to these illegal city-squartters as culprit of percieved or criminal activities in these areas.
Upon his appointment as the minister of the FCT administration Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, declared his mission was simply to restore the master plan. Although recent revelation on probes by the house of representative revealed some high handedness by the dimunitive-former-minister of the FCT, these parts of town which were littered with uncompleted buildings for whatever reasons were visited by the demolishing squad of the FCDA to correct the structural abnormality.
El-Rufai brought down all structures considered to be an illegal construction in the FCT. The same fate befell those that had been developed halfway and abandoned for a long time. These abandoned projects, owned by individuals and orgnisations provided alternative abode for displaced or homeless residents in the FCT. Since the demolition for which the erstwhile minister earned the sobriqunet “Mr. Demolition” that lasted during the exercise many residents of the FCT have admitted the painful exercise has yielded very positive impact in many areas of the city.
Although that administration remains guilty of not being able to deliver structural development in the FCT but maintained notoriety for demolishing structures that were deemed to have been in default of the master plan. The positive impacts of demolishing the various uncompleted structures are visible. “We see less of suspicious persons around here”, Achibong udoh a resident at the Minsters’, Hill area of Maitama district of FCT told the African Herald Express.
His view was upheld by Anita Komolafe who said “I have lived here for five years now. We do not see strange faces coming out of that (pointing to a large expanse of land at the Panama Junction on IBB Boulevard at Maitama.) place where there was this large uncompleted building. Before the demolition of that uncompleted structure each morning, you see young men and ladies who obviously have no source of earnings coming out of that place. All we noticed here is that the ladies will dress at dusk to go out every day. ” Mrs Komolafe said they are obvously prostituting to survive. And such lifestyle comes with its social risks to the neighbourhood as different kinds of men come here to meet with them.
Some of these men could be robbers who used their visits as decoy for spying the area. So they can get use to the vicinity. This would aid their escape when they come to perpetrate their neferious act, she noted.
Why would any sane person take refuge in an uncompleted building? This can be appreciated when one accepted the fact that Abuja the federal Capital Territory, holds very strong attraction to all Nigerians. The lure in the words of Hamze Abdullahi, a trader at the Utako market is ‘oportunity’. It is common to hear non visitors to the city in different parts of the country expressing interest in being in the Federal Capital Territory as residents. There is nothing wrong with this dream. However, one major obstacle stands in the way of many who seek to actualize this dream. That obstacle is accommodation.
Accommodation remains pivotal to the stay of any resident in the city. Although accommodation is same for johny just come in any city. Abuja poses a great challenge to the new comer. The rate for a normal apartment in other states of the federation is not same in Abuja. It is often over 200% higher on the average. This is subject to the area where you find somewhere to live.
Inspite of this, adventurous persons spare no opportunity to visit the FCT. This attraction rests strongly on the conviction that the FCT offers limitless opportunity to increased value to any hardworking person materially or otherwise. The lure has attracted all shades of persons to the city: The skilled and unskilled, each, seeks the connection of the Federal Capital Territory to his path for a better destiny.
As the challenge for accommodation proves very difficult for many, in the short term, they seek shelter from willling friends and relations. Those who are not so lucky take refuge in many uncompleted building in the federal capital territory. This set of people attracted the silent disapproval of many residents of such areas.
African Herald investigations revealed that most security men employed by the owners of these uncompleted buildings became the facilitators of these illegal occupants. Shehu Haliru said while he was the watchman in an uncompleted building to his former boss at Asokoro, his landlord travelled abroad leaving him without money for about three months. When a stranded visitor to town approached him “I obliged him a place to stay since I had nothing to lose”. He accepted to let him spend the night there, gradually the fellow whom he called Bayo made his visit regular and later lived there for six months with him. This time at an agreed fee which he refused to disclosed.
According to Haliru, Bayo moved in with his friends and latter other persons joined them and “our place became a barracks of some sort. The problem we had was toilet. But the dam behind us served as a toilet.
Yesufu a taxi driver admitted that when he first came to town from Oyo state in 2003 he lived in an uncompleted building. Although he never paid a dime to any body, he said his friend intoduce him to the apartment at Maitama district. Yesufu’s decision was predicated on the fact that his car which he depended on to sleep for a start until he would be able to raise the money for rent in the suburb became unbearable during the heat. According to him he stayed for barely three months before he found a place.
Presently, there are still pockets of such places in the FCT. They are no longer a common feature of the FCT; given the manner El-Rufai stemmed the trend in the FCT during his time. Although the name still evokes unpleasant memories to many residents of the FCT, the removal of this feature in the FCT remains a plus on his administration that gave no physical structural development to the city. Only recently, the present minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Adamu Aliero, has declared that his administration will not tolerate the development of illegal structure in the FCT. The minister vowed to pursue the dream of the founding fathers for the FCT. This translates to pulling down illegal structures in the FCT. This is a clear demonstration of upholding the El-Rufai’s demolition exercise.