The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Muhammad Musa Bello warned that going forward, any investor or developer that attacks staff of the FCTA in the course of their lawful duties will face criminal charges and prosecuted with the full extent of the law.
He laid emphasis on this while speaking during the commissioning the 5 storey office complex of the Abuja Property Development Company (APDC) located at Plot 1329, Peace Drive, Central Business District, Abuja, saying “We want to develop the city but the city has to be developed in an organized manner, just like it is done in all parts of the world”.
In the words of the Minister “there are certain investors, unscrupulous persons who decide especially on the fringes of the city, to build without permission, to build on unallocated land, to build with impunity and to spend enormous amount of resources on fraudulent allocations or not at all and without building permits. You must probably have noticed that over the last few weeks, we have been demolishing and we will continue to demolish them”
He condemned the actions by some unscrupulous developers especially on the fringes of the Federal Capital City (FCC) who construct without appropriate permission and said that such buildings will be pulled down no matter how highly placed their owners are.
Bello assured that the FCTA will place emphasis on planning and development control measures in the establishment of estates to ensure that facilities such as play areas, provision for community centers-shopping facilities, places of worship and educational facilities are included.
The Minister explained that part of the reasons why flooding sometimes affect residential estates was because development control plans were not enforced and assured that this was going to change because every live is sacrosanct.
He said the idea of living on an estate according to the Minister, is to live in a community that is safe, serene, beautiful and peaceful so that people can raise their families and children in an environment that makes them productive as a people.
Malam Bello said “we cannot just create estates where every square inch is dedicated to building and that’s why our enforcement activities will be enhanced.”
Speaking further, he commended the company for the innovations it adapted in managing the company saying that was the way construction for sale to the public should be done using the Company’s Capital Estate along Kubwa Expressway as an example
The Minister in his address applauded the pioneer as well as the current management and staff of the APDC for building it from a small company to what it is today and said that with the right attitude, innovation, adaptability to dynamic situations and dedication to work, even government companies can not only grow but also turn a profit while meeting the objectives for which they were established
Responding to a call for the establishment of farmers markets in the FCT, the Minister assured that as many of such facilities will be established before the end of his tenure and also commended the efforts of Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar for his efforts in developing the FCT during his short spell as FCT Minister.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the APDC Builder Lawal Magaji paid tribute to his predecessors and said that the building was constructed without taking any loans and that parts of it were already leased out and commended the FCT Minister for his support for the company.
Also present at the event were the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, The Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu, the Emir of Nasarawa HRH Alh. Ibrahim Usman Jibril, Chairman, Board of Directors APDC Alh. Muhammed Idris, other Board Member of the company, management staff of the FCTA and the APDC.
