Gwarinpa Flood: FCTA Demolishes 400 Houses
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished over 400 unlawful structures in Abuja’s Gwarinpa area, including those that were transformed from corner stores to residential buildings and those that covered the waterway.
During the exercise, the director of the Development Control Department, Murkhtar Galadima, spoke to journalists about the terrible hygiene and sanitation in the region, saying rubbish is being dumped directly into the stream, which is a ticking time bomb.
“These aren’t supposed to be houses; they used to be corner shops, but they’ve been converted into a residential abode.” We have almost 400 stores that have been turned into residences.
“We’re working with the Federal Housing Authority, and we’ve had some discussions with them about how to turn it into a modern mall, but for the time being, the so-called corner shops are being used as residential buildings.” And, given the large number of people staying here, hygiene and sanitation are non-existent, so it is preferable to remove them for safety reasons,” he stated.
Galadima said that they had given them more than a month’s notice and that they were also there to sensitise and label structures that would be removed.
“What we’re attempting to do is recover the flood plain within Gwarinpa, where people have built homes along the waterway.” Because they are simply depositing their waste directly into the stream, the region is not well-planned. This could be a source of epidemic spread.
“As a result, it’s a ticking time bomb.” If we do not act quickly, the repercussions will be unthinkable. I’ll tell them not to obstruct water channels and to warn others who are culpable that we’re on our way,” he said.
Ikharo Attah, the minister of the FCT’s senior special assistant on monitoring, inspection, and enforcement, expressed surprise at the level of illegality in the area.
