2023 election: Removal of illegal structures , shanties will be sustained – FCTA

FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja

Authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Tuesday vowed to sustain the removal of illegal structures and shanties in the nation’s capital city, before and after the 2023 general elections.

The Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, who revealed this in Abuja when he led a clean up exercise to the market and other parts of Dutse,  said it is unacceptable that people are just building shanties and Barchers indiscriminately in Abuja.

He emphasized that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello is committed to ensuring the city is clean before, during and after the 2023 general elections.

In the words of Attah: “as long as the government is paying salaries and allowances the work must go on.

“It is unacceptable that everyone is just building shanties and barchers everywhere and it is very disheartening we discovered that the more you work the more you see illegalities to remove. We are doing our jobs and will keep on doing them.

“I think the major thing we saw is the issue of allegations and counter allegations of people that are involved in irregularities, especially those pertaining to government officials,  accusing them of compromising standards in many areas including the illegalities in Dutse-Alhaji market”.

“I think people don’t understand that those of us doing enforcement are under heavy pressure. And the Minister of FCT appears not to be relenting at all. The Minister gave a matching order that all enforcement officers must do their jobs and all political appointees must do their jobs so I don’t see any counter-enforcement stopping soon.

“Yes people have said within a short time that we are going to get tired and they even boosted before us that the election is coming that we are going to get tired but the Minister has said that the city must be clean in and out of election until the last day we leave office as long as the government is paying us our salaries and allowances we must work for the money and that is what we are doing here, DRTs, Development Control, AEPB, SSA’s office, etc, every department that is under enforcement are all under high pressure by the Minister to go and do their jobs.

“We must do our jobs, so if anybody says we are not coming to demolish, should better have a rethink. Even in Dutse-Alhaji where they said we are not coming, we went there and we want to ensure that only those who have shops selling there and the buyers who come there to buy will be left.

Addressing government officials that compromise he said: “We are also looking inward to ensure we are not compromised. That is why some of the people we removed their illegality claimed that an officer in the government gave them the place.  If possible such officers are found, they will deal with them accordingly.

Earlier, some of the market women who do not want their names in print allegedly accused the FCTA officials in the market of allocating space to those who built illegal shanties and containers.

According to the woman, “It is not only the market manager that allocates space, but the FCT officials also collect money and allocate space too, so they should leave the manager alone “.

For a better society