The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has removed illegal markets and squatters at Arab Junction in Kubwa district of the territory.
It was discovered that the market was by the major road corridor leading to Kubwa, which usually caused serious traffic jams in mornings and evenings.
The squatters had also turned all drainages into their refuse dump and this blocked all the major drainages in the area. Apart from removing the illegal shops, shanties and structures in the area the task force team also distilled the drainages.
The senior special assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, during the exercise, explained the Minister of FCT Malam Muhammad Bello, gave a matching order that the entire stretch leading to Kubwa train station from the popular Arab junction must be clean and all the illegal squatters, shanties, parking and shops must be removed to allow free flow of traffic in the area.
“The minister of FCT Malam Muhammad Bello gave the Taskforce team headed by the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad, to clean the entire stretch leading to Kubwa train station from the popular Arab junction down to the train station because the train services here are already well patronised.
“People who use this road now are not happy about the state of the road which paints Abuja in a bad light. It took the entire task force team to do the job,” he said.
Attah noted that apart from distilling the drainages the minister also brought in the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPD), Development control, and the Security Department, because of the security implications and because of indiscriminate parking, the Minister brought in the Directorate of Road Traffic Service to come and do the job”.
“We are all here to correct every contravention like illegal structures around me here. The Minister is making the institution work so that anyone that is coming after him, the work will be easy for him,” he said.
The head of Monitoring and Enforcement, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Mr. Kaka Bello, lamented about the traffic congestion in the area due to illegal squatters, and markets, among others.
