Ongoing demolitions in order, to continue — FCTA

The FCT administration has mandated the demolitions to rid the territory of contravention…

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said the ongoing clean-up, demolition of shanties and illegal structures in the territory is in adherence with the rules of engagement and will be continued.

The Chairman, FCTA Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation, Mr Ikharo Attah, stated this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

• How ex-CBN deputy governor, Mailafia, died — Official
• PODCAST: Why Citizens Are Aiding Bandits In Katsina, Other States

The FCT administration has mandated the demolitions to rid the territory of contravention, given the increasing number of shanties and illegal structures on road corridors.

Attah said the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, had always insisted that despite the illegalities observed, a high level of engagement with critical stakeholders should be held at all levels before the demolition exercise.

“That for me, is the best of human face that you can get around.

“All that we have been doing as regards to the clean-up, removal of shanties and illegal structures in the FCT as an administration, we are doing it with a total human face.

“We carried out all the clean-up or demolition, as you call it, with strong empathy because we understand that we are also part of humanity.

“When people commit illegality and when time of clean-up comes, the FCT minister will tell you yes, these things are illegal, they have to go but we are human please engage and discuss with the people,’’ he said.

He said the task force gave more than four months of clean-up notice to Mpape community, dialogued and engaged them for some time before the commencement of the exercise.

He also said the task force engaged some other areas like the City Centre, saying “in fact we have engaged people a lot, some of the discussions are still going on which I cannot disclose here.