Demolition: No illegal structure will be spared, FCTA vows

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has declared that nobody, no matter how placed in the society, would be spared in its ongoing demolition of illegal structures within the parks and gardens in the Capital City of Abuja.

It, therefore, warned owners and operators of such illegal structures to, as a matter of urgency, remove them and obey the rules and regulations guiding the activities of parks and garden in the city centre.

Director, FCT Parks and Recreation Department, Architect Ali Ukele, who handed over this warning during the demolition of illegal structures at Cachez Garden, Wuse Zone 1, Suez Garden, Wuse Zone 4, as well as The Junkyard and Riverplate Garden in Business Central District (BCD), further reiterated the administration’s resolution to sanitize the activities within the gardens.

He lamented that despite series of warnings by the administration, people continued erecting illegal structures in the parks, saying until they change their attitude and obey the laid down rules and regulations, the government would not desist from pulling them down.

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The director insisted that most of the activities being carried out in the parks were wrong, as the places were meant for relaxation and not for selling of intoxicating beverages or hard drugs.

Architect Ukele vowed that the exercise was going to be comprehensive and no illegal structure would be spared for whatever reason. “We have been holding series of meetings with them against this act.

“There are some park operators that have approved allocations but a lot of them don’t have, so if you don’t have and you are operating illegal parks or structure, go and remove it. We intend to sanitize the activities and building in the parks, so nobody will be spared in this exercise.

“There are security threats because people sleep in parks, and we have complaints from neighbourhoods that they come from parks and rob or disturb them in the night, then disappear again into the parks, so this is the issue,” he explained.

It will be recalled that the FCTA through the Department of Development Control (DDC) and the Department of Parks and Recreation had commenced the move to end the sales and consumption of alcoholic drinks and drugs within the parks and gardens in the FCC.