FCTA dislodged Apo Tiper garage,  Demolishes shanties, impounds Vehicles

Favour Ishember, Abuja

Authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has on Monday, dislodged the popular Apo tipper garage, shanties, illegal shops, mechanic shops, food sellers, building materials shops,  and impounded some abandoned trucks and vehicles, In order to ensure smooth construction work on Apo interchange.

Leading the Taskforce Team, Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, said it is a major interchange that  connect four lane highway  all the way to Kubwa  hence the clearing of the tipper garage.

In the words of Attah: “The FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello at the weekend took a very developmental tour , around Guzape district to check developmental work in  area  to ensure the work get to advance stage within his tenure, when the Minister was going round, he came across this very bad site at Apo tipper garage by Apo NEPA which prompted him to  instruct  that the tipper garage should be removed first thing on Monday morning , and that is why we are removing them”.

 “This is a fundamental road from outer express way, then to Wasa and the other one is connecting to Guzape II here.

“But having this tipper garage disturbing  the construction work going on smoothly here, the Minister frown at that heavily and asked us to remove it finally and seal up the gate and ensure every illegalities are removed here”. He stressed.

While reacting to the argument of the defaulters , claiming that they have been in the area for over a decade,the demolition lord  said, “The argument that they have been here for years won’t stand because this is an interchange road on a super four lane highway and connecting all the way to Kubwa . No matter how long they have stayed,they must leave because the interchange  must come.

“Then when you look at the aesthetics of the city, you cannot have tipper garage everywhere in this highbrow Apo area of Gudu, it cannot stand’! He agued.

One of those the dislodged trader, Muhammad Ali,  lamented that he had been selling building materials in the area for over 15 years, “if we want peace,  then we have to obey what the government is   saying;  Our own is to obey the constitution. But we are not happy, this is our livelihood and we have families that we are feeding. Since they asked us to leave, I don’t know where am going”. He lamented.

Also among the affected is Ahmad Adamu, a grandfather who was saddened by the prompt action by the government to dislodge them which according to him, there was no prior notice given to them.