By Stanley Onyekwere
In furtherance to its effort at sanitising Abuja, a joint City Sanitation taskforce of the Federal Capital Territory(FCTA) yesterday raided and dislodged a notorious neighbourhood roadside market in Area 1, hitherto allegedly providing cover to criminal elements in the area.
It was gathered that the exercise operations carried out by a combined team of several security agencies, the Development Control team, and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) was part of the ongoing reinvigorated measures to restore sanity to that part of the city centre.
Leader of the taskforce, Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, explained that the operation also included dismantling illegal car dealers who have taken over pedestrian walkways within the Area 1 residential district.
Galadima reiterated that while the notorious roadside market will never be allowed to reconvene,
all the vehicles that were impounded have been taken into custody by the enforcement squad of the Directorate of Road Traffic Service ( DRTS).
He added that while FCTA wants to integrate the informal economic forces, especially the petty traders, and micro entrepreneurs, the environmental health and safety will not be compromised.
He disclosed that the administration was working towards providing a permanent solution to open grazing of cattle within the city center.
According to him, plans were underway to provide a well planned alternative informal market for genuine petty traders who were affected by the cleaning exercise.
“This exercise is a continuation of ongoing city sanitation and automatising the hygienic of the Federal Capital City (FCC).
” We are going to consider the petty traders and review some of those policies to see how they can fit in best, because they are also contributing to economy of the city.
” The issue of cattle is discussed at a higher level, where a permanent grazing reserve will be provided by the FCT Administration, in such a way that they will never run across the city, I know I have seen in several instances AEPB have arrested some of these cattle and their rearers, it’s something that it is been looked at, at the higher level”, he stated.
