The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, on Wednesday, ruled out compensation for illegal structures demolished to restore the master plan of the territory.
He was fielding questions from State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting.
He said many illegal structures and shanties demolished were built during the lockdown imposed on the territory due to COVID-19 pandemic.
He, however, said compensation would be made available for any structure removed to expand roads or provide essential facilities.
The minister said the authorities of the territory were working to manage population explosion due to urbanization.
Bello, while reacting to a question that sought to know if there was any plan to contain the population explosion in the FCT and the attendant issues, said: “Urbanization is a reality that we cannot reverse, it’s a worldwide phenomenon and urbanisation will continue. As a matter of fact, it has been projected by 2050, 70% of the world population will be living in urban areas, Abuja is no exception.
“But it’s something that we are trying to manage. How do we manage it? We’re strengthening our institutions, increasing infrastructure within the available resources, but with urbanisation and movement of people, obviously crime also increases; the need to handle urban waste increases, and so many other things.”
