Mabushi: Develop or forfeit plots – FCTA warns land owners

By Stanley Onyekwere 

Worried by the increasing environmental nuisance arising from undeveloped plots, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has read riot act to plot owners who failed to develop their property along Mabushi interchange, in Abuja. 

In particular, the FCTA said it can no longer fold its hands to watch the beautiful city of Abuja defaced by shanties, illegal shops and brothels mainly due to the huge number of undeveloped plots in the area.

This warning was handed down when the FCT Ministerial Task Team on City Sanitation storm the area for a clean up exercise, on Tuesday.

Fielding questions from newsmen immediately after the clean up exercise, the Taskteam Chairman , Comrade Ikharo Attah the Minister has directed that, if land owners around that area fails to develop their properties, the land will be revoked and given to the person who can build it.

According to him; “The FCT Minister will not take nonsense, if land owners around that area fails to develop their properties the land will be revoked and given to the person who can build it. 

“The lands were given to them for over twenty years and the FCTA has been spending money to clean this place that has been taken over by mechanics, illegal shops , brothels.

“Look at today we are spending the whole of the day cleaning up this area. It cost FCTA money, if you are not willing to develop your plots, then the FCT Minister is very disturbed about this place will allocate it to others who can develop it. 

“The Minister took us round last week and showed us some disturbing images from this particular spot close to Mabushi interchange , Police station and close to other Amaden Plaza . There are several illegalities coming up here and the minister gave a matching order to clean this place restore the greens and ensure that plots owners who have not develop their plots do so quickly.

“The minister insisted that the Mabushi interchange should be totally green from all sides. It’s good we do it very early, once the miscreants comes in so heavily, removing it will become so difficult.

“That is why we came here today to commence the clean up exercise , we have to come again and again to make sure that the clean up exercise is sustained and ensure that areas that are meant for green areas are green and areas meant for structures are developed by property owners because we cannot leave them for persons to take advantage of them”, he explained.

Speaking on the duration of time given to land owners to get their plots developed, Attah said, the Mnister had looked at that and the plot owners will be totally briefed and the FCTA will give a time for the developers to come and build.

“The minister is very passionate about this place close to the Federal ministry of works and housing and he wants it to be a beautiful place because is a connecting point between the Berger bridge linked to Jabi lake , city center and leading to outer northern lane as well as some other junction connecting to Maitama leading to the Kubwa road.

“This ought to be a very beautiful melting point where you can drive through the interchange and what you see around will be totally greens because sometimes what we see are greens bringing out the blossoming red flowers, you still see some offensive shanties that is painting Abuja in a very bad light”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Acting Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) , Malam Kaka Ali lamented that the area has been taken over by hoodlums and the administration directed that we reclaim it for public use as a recreational center where people can come during their leisure and relax with their families. 

He revealed that all the agencies are involved, AEPB, Development Control, Parks and Recreation. 

“By the time we clean this place, we hand it over to parks and Recreation to fenced it and hand it over to parks and recreation”, the AEPB boss stated.