By Stanley Onyekwere
In order to ensure smooth construction work on Apo interchange, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has removed the popular Apo tipper garage and other shanties in the area.
The FCTA, in collaboration with different security forces and relevant agencies cleared shanties, illegal shops, mechanic shops, food sellers, building materials shops, etc and impounded and towed some abandoned trucks and vehicles, to the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) otherwise known as Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO).
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, who led the FCT Taskforce Team, noted it is a major interchange of four lane highway and connecting all the way to Kubwa, hence the clearing of the tipper garage.
Attah said: “The FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello at the weekend took a very developmental tour , around Guzape district to check developmental work in Guzape and 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.
“He therefore instructed that the tipper garage should be removed first thing on Monday morning and that is why we are removing them”.
He continued that: “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.
“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’.
For one of those affected, Muhammad Ali, lamented that he had been selling building materials in the area for over 15 years .
“If you want peace , then we have to obey what the government said, so 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” .
On where they plan to move to, he said they are planning to temporarily move to Waru.
Another affected person, a father and grandfather,
Ahmad Adamu, expressed sadness, because of his huge responsibilities due to unexpected the movement, as there was no notice of any kind, adding that he doesn’t know yet where to move to.
