Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has given a one-month ultimatum to owners of plots at Apo-Dutse Pantaker site in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to develop their plots of land or risk revocation of the plots.
The senior special assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to the minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah, yesterday during a mop-up exercise in the area, lamented that after the administration spent state resources to clean up the area, the owners of plots in the site had not taken possession of their plots of land.
He said about 150 illegal structures and shops were demolished and that after spending several days removing the illegalities on the plots of land, they were disappointed to return for a mop-up exercise and found that most of the allottees had not taken over their land.
“The minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, is very bitter and unhappy because most of the allottees have not taken over their land, and he is spending state resources to clean up the city, in terms of buying diesel and paying personnel allowances, servicing the machines amongst others.
“What we are hearing is that some of the allottees are speculating with their land and this cannot continue and is unacceptable. People who have gotten land in this place and are waiting for us to clear it should immediately report to Development Control within one month.
“It is not just about fencing the land, but also getting building plan approval and building on it. They should not leave the land vacant for too long.
We will recommend to the FCT Minister and plead with him that if in the next one month we do not see meaningful development in terms of fencing and ground-breaking for structures, the minister should revoke the land.
“The only way you can get illegal occupants to move out of the area is for the plot owners to take over their plots and start development. As long as the plot owners are speculating, then pantaker and miscreants will take over their plots,” he said.
Attah, while speaking about the allocation of alternative land to the association of scrap dealers that were sent out of the Apo-Dutse Pantaker market, noted that the minister is considering giving them an alternative land, but that they should be patient.
The chairman of the Association of Scrap Dealers, Apo-Dutse Pantaker Market, Anas Ismail, while fielding questions from journalists, he said his people are not regrouping rather they are packing their things, that they have written to the minister to give them more time to pack their things.
