AMMC defends marking of former 1st Lady’s property for demolition

For allegedly sitting on a green area, a sprawling property, sitting on a large expanse of land, opposite the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) headquarters in Jabi, said to belong to Nigeria’s former First Lady, Dr. Patience Jonathan has been marked for possible demolition.
Authorities in Department Development Control, under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) revealed that the multi-billion naira property was a contravention of development control laws in the FCT.
One of the top officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity explained: “we have served them notice to stop further development of the property and produce necessary approvals within six days before resuming work, failure to do which, we will be left with no option but to remove the whole property.
“That place is a green area, and the property on it looks like a hotel.
“And you can imaging the deceit there, the signboard outside the property indicates that it is a foundation or an NGO home (A. Aruera Reachout Foundation/Women for Chang and Development Initiative), but the real property inside is something else.”
The top officials also alleged that an FCTA official, a certain Deputy Director of the department, who visited the place last month for inspection, was assaulted by thugs on the orders of the former first Lady who initiated the assault with a slap before the thugs swarm on him.
He insisted that all structures that contravene the development guidelines would surely be removed irrespective of the position of their owners in the society, advising the highly placed in Nigeria to set example by abiding to the laws of the land.
Meanwhile, the security personnel manning the building did not volunteer information on the developers of the project.