FCTA ups clampdown on car marts, shanties in city centre

By Stanley Onyekwere

No fewer than 10 cluster of illegal car marts, situated along major road corridors in Gudu District, within the Federal Capital City (FCC) were dislodged yesterday, by a joint team of Abuja city managers, for allegedly defacing the city.
Our correspondent reports that aside the removal of the car marts, several makeshift structures hitherto used for car wash, automobile workshops, furniture making and restaurants.
The enforcement team was made of FCT Administration top officials drawn from Development Control Department, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Department of Road Traffic Services as well as personnel of various security agencies.
Speaking to newsmen when the team clampdown on such structures covering the entire stretch Oladipo Diya axis of Gudu, explained that the raid was in continuation of the ongoing intensive sanitation exercise for the city.
Galadima noted that illegal car marts are gradually taking over the nation’s capital city, that’s why it was necessary for relevant authorities to be out and clear them.
“For now we are removing the car marts that are within the city centre, Kubwa is the temporary designated car marts, pending the final implementation of the Abuja Investment Car Mart, which is situated along Dakwa/Zuba road.
“We are not going back on the removal of illegal structures, as we are going to sustain the exercise,” he stated.
On whether there was adequate notice given prior to the exercise, the Director said: “we don’t need to give them notice, because we considered them as illegal structures. They are shanties dirtying (defacing) the city.
“It’s a recurrent exercise, so we have been doing it, when we remove the structures, they would come back to site, that’s why we don’t need to serve them notice.”