The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Fresh threat to Southern Kaduna peace

    Fresh threat to Southern Kaduna peace

    The foundation stone of a military base in volatile Southern Kaduna has been smashed, prompting concerns that peace in the area may still be far off. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports

    So much blood has been spilled and so much property destroyed in Southern Kaduna that virtually everyone said the answer lay in a military presence in the area to deter the bloodthirsty attackers.

    With the destruction of the foundation stones of a military facility in the area shortly after they were laid, where lies the hope of peace?

    Kaduna State has been blighted by violence in its southern parts. That was why commissions of enquiry into the crises recommended that military formations be set up since it was widely believed that lack of military presence in the area emboldened the invaders to attack repeatedly and get away with it. Even residents of the area often blamed such crises on the slow response of security personnel.

    Sample this: Two days after the attack on some villages in Chawai Chiefdom of Jema’a Local Government Area in Kaduna State in November 2016, the famous Southern Kaduna socio-cultural group, Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) reiterated the call, believing that it will end the bloodbath.

    A statement by its President, Mr Solomon Musa, a lawyer, on November 15, 2016, said, “While the attacks have continued to fester, the efforts of governments and security agencies are yet to be felt, seen or appreciated by our people. SOKAPU has consistently called on governments and security agencies to bolster intelligence gathering mechanisms to detect early warning signs.

    “We have also called for the establishment of military barracks and security formations around the attack-prone axis of Kauru, Jema’a, Sanga and Kauru as both deterrence and as a quick response strategy but to no avail.

    “The villages that have come under the onslaught of the terrorists have also been calling for the deployment of security personnel in the forest, mountains and flashpoints rather than the highways, but these calls have not received any favourable response. The pattern that has emerged, sadly now, is that attacks occur with impunity usually followed by fire fighting and feeble cosmetic measures by security agencies and the government that have failed to yield any dividend.

    “SOKAPU as a union in its support for peace, law and harmonious living carried out a peaceful protest in Gwantu on Thursday 25/8/2016 and made the following demands that: The government of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai keeps his campaign promise of safeguarding our lives and property by also funding a formidable joint military operation to flush our murderers and restore ‘captured’ lands to their owners”.

    There have been allegations that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and that of Governor Nasir el-Rufai abandoned the area.

    Perhaps in response to that accusation, the government resolved to establish two military formations in Southern Kaduna, one in Kafanchan and the other in Kachia. These were in addition to a mobile police squadron already launched by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris.

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai was   recently in Kafanchan to lay the foundation for a Nigerian Army Forward Operation Base (FOB), which the army chief said its officers and personnel will make ready in three months, while the base’s structure will take a few years to complete.

    Governor El-Rufai told General Buratai that his government cannot wait until the structure is completed, but will provide a temporary site to accommodate the military base until the permanent site is completed.

    He said, “The state government will provide the army with a temporary facility for immediate take-off of the Forward Operation Base pending the completion of the permanent site.”

    He equally assured that the state government will immediately commence survey of the military formation site land, with a view to quickly issue its Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) the army authority.

    El-Rufai also said that his government will fish out those behind the Southern Kaduna killings and make sure they go to prison, saying the recent unrest in the region was the 11th since 1980 and lamented that nobody has been prosecuted either for the killings or destruction of property.

    Laying the foundation stone, Lt.-Gen Buratai said the Army is in Southern Kaduna to restore peace and they were not going to take sides while discharging their responsibility.

    The Army Chief who had earlier visited the Chief of Kagoro, Ufuwai Bonet and Emir of Jema’a, Alhaji Muhammadu Isah Muhammadu at their respective palaces said he was equally in Southern Kaduna to meet with his officers and men who had been deployed to the area to ensure peace.

    He said, “The present crisis is coming to an end. Now, we have restored normalcy in the troubled areas. People have started coming back to their homes. I was in Ninte this morning. I saw the farmers and the Fulani. I spoke with them on the need to live in peace with one another.

    “You can’t separate the farmers and the herdsmen. They have a long history of co-existence. So, they must live together. The better they live together the better for them and everyone.”

    In their separate remarks, the Chief of Kagoro, and Emir of Jema’a thanked the military for their presence, saying, though the incessant attacks and killings are gradually disappearing, there are isolated attacks going on by the hoodlums.

    They commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving  the setting up of military formations in the area.

    Chief Bonet said, “I equally want to say that the criminals carrying out these attacks are not our Fulani. We have been living with our Fulani peacefully, we know them. But I told the governor these Fulani that came to terrorise, if they are from Mali, how did they find their way into our towns and villages and who armed them?“

    Why was the foundation stone destroyed four days after it was laid?

    Alhaji Tajudeen Tijjani, a veteran journalist and public affairs analyst seems to believe that Southern Kaduna people are to blame for the destruction of the foundation stone.

    He said, “If you remember vividly, members of 29 Southern Kaduna communities recently came together to work for peace. The group which cuts across religion and ethnicity was trained by an NGO. They moved from one community to the other, asking people to forgive one another. At a point, the group under the auspices of that NGO called Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) invited the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam El-Rufai to launch their apology billboard. At that occasion, the Chairman of Plateau State Council of Chiefs, the Gbong Gwong Jos, Dr. Buba Gyang was in attendance and spoke passionately on the way out of the Southern Kaduna crisis. But, if you go to Samaru Kataf today, the apology billboard has been destroyed.

    “So, when I heard that the foundation stone recently laid by the Chief of Army Staff and Governor El-Rufai has also been destroyed, I was not very surprised because those who made the loudest noise in criticising the government of the day and asked for the military formation did not even acknowledge the gesture in the first place when the foundation was laid.

    “But, the question is, what do the people of Southern Kaduna really want? They asked for peace, an NGO started building peace, some bad elements destroyed their apology billboard. They asked for a military formation, the government decided to give them two and a police squadron, now they have destroyed the military formation’s foundation. It is unfortunate”, he said.

    Governor El-Rufai also responded to the destruction of the foundation stone, saying in a statement, “I received the news with shock over the unfortunate destruction of foundation laying structure of the proposed Nigerian Army battalion in Southern Kaduna. The very structure we erected to establish the long-awaited Army Barracks to assist promotion of peace and end the decades of senseless bloodletting in the southern part of Kaduna State.

    “The situation is unfortunate, condemnable and a setback to the government’s communal stabilization and  peace building efforts, but we will not be deterred. We urge our people that cherish peaceful coexistence to  continue to be resilient, focused and resolute in overcoming antics of forces of darkness and evil. Those that did this are determined to derail the contributions of the security agencies, having failed to spread their tentacles of hate, bigotry and penchant for divisiveness.”

    There is no proof as to who destroyed the stone, yet. Was it the people who are constantly attacked or their attackers or mischief makers?

     

  • A case for tax in Kwara

    Transition Implementation Chairman (TIC), Ilorin West council of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdul-hameed Alli has urged residents of the council to pay their tax promptly.

    Journalist-turned politician said this would bring development to the door steps of the people.

    Alhaji Alli said this at the launch of this year’s maternal and child health week in Oko-Erin ward in Ilorin, the state capital.

    He said that “like this programme now, it was derived from our internally generated revenue (IGR). So if people are paying their taxes we should be able to recoup that back into the society. So you will never hear me say that there is no money. Other people would have been hiding under the platform of paucity of funds. The magic wand of my success is sincerity to serve.

    “I urge the beneficiaries to make use of the opportunity. Secondly, they should also support the government by paying their taxes. It is those that have paid that we have used their money to touch lives; they should see that this government is a very sincere one that is willing to assist at all times.”

    He continued that: “This is actually the second place we are doing it. The first one was done by my wife at Pakata Health centre, but because of the uniqueness of Ilorin West local government and for the project to get to the grassroots i find it important to launch it here as advised by the health department of the council.  Just after this, all the 12 wards in the council will benefit from this.

    “I have always been proud to be a journalist. We see and write to put public office holders on their toes. So we won’t want to be criticised. I adopt the policy of a good listener. Like the lady that attested to my achievements. I got a call that on a particular night they rushed a patient here and it was so bad that they had to use lantern to attend to the patient. It was a deplorable situation.

    “On the 50th birthday of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’s wife, Omolewa I instituted Omolewa Health Scheme during which went around some hospitals assisting some with health challenges. At the end of the day we came here and based on their earlier request a brand new generating set was handed over to them.”

  • Jigawa: Health centres, few personnel

    Jigawa: Health centres, few personnel

    tHEIRS is not lack of facilities. Jigawa State boasts a number of medical facilities even at the grassroots, but the problem is that the facilities have far too few personnel and too little equipment and drugs to be of much help to the residents.

    Buji Local Government Area with a population of 92,371, made up of crop farmers and Fulani herdsmen, is an example. Its headquarters, Gantsa, hosts local, state and even federal agencies such the police and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others.

    The sore point, though, is that its health centres ar e essentially dysfunctional due to lack of human and  material resources.

    Gantsa has a 22-bed capacity hospital sited in a strategic location the town but it is managed by only two persons who boast Community Health Workers qualifications.

    The 22-bed capacity facility, recently renovated, caters to over 18 villages and so many Fulani settlements.

    Investigations conducted by our reporter revealed that a substantial  number of patients particularly expectant women and children attend the hospital every day for ante-natal and post-natal care, while other patients also visit the hospital for their health needs.

    Our reporter was in the clinic to  cover an event organised by some communities in the local government area under the aegis of the Wards Development Committee (WDC) supported by Save the Children, a non-governmental organisation.

    It was observed that there was a large number of patients, majority of  whom were women and children. It was also noticed that they looked  distressed on a long queue without being attended to.

    Findings in the health centre revealed that the expectant mothers and their children presented malaria, typhoid, diarrhoea and other child-related cases.

    The WDC was in the area to mobilise and enlighten women and their husbands on the importance of safe motherhood.

  • Council sets up micro-finance bank committee

    The Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abdullahi Candido has unveiled an 11-man committee on the establishment of a proposed AMAC Micro-Finance Bank, with seven terms of reference and a four weeks deadline to submit its report.

    Candido, while inaugurating the Committee under the chairmanship of Managing Director, AMAC Investment and Property Development Company (IPDC) ltd, Hon. Yakubu Adamu, listed its terms of reference to include looking at the viability or otherwise of the council establishing micro finance bank; and liaising with relevant regulatory body to ascertain the conditions to be met for its establishment.

    Others are: to identify a suitable site for the location of the proposed bank’s head office and other branches; ascertain the share capital of the council and that of the other shareholders/investors; and ascertain the initial capital to be injected in the short term and in the long run; as well as identify other investors that can partner with the council in the venture.

    He added that the committee is to prepare an Executive Bill, stating the entire modus operandi of the proposed bank for presentation to the Legislative Council for enactment in the Bye-Laws on the Establishment of AMAC Micro Finance bank.

    Responding on behalf of the committee, the AMAC-IPDC boss assured that the committee will vigorously follow the terms of reference given to it, and ensure that it churns out a comprehensive report within the time limit given to the committee, so as to enable the council establish and run micro finance bank.

    He said when the Micro-finance bank is established, the people and staff of the council as well as traders will feel the impact, as it will further open up access to soft loans needed to facilitate economic activities within the municipality and FCT at large.

  • Petty traders’ lot on Abuja streets

    Some petty traders who sell along the streets of Wuse zone 6 have narrated their ordeal in the hands of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).

    Some of the traders in the Wuse area of the Abuja Municipal Area Council said they are still selling on the streets despite the authorities stance against it because they give AEPB officials on patrol a token of about N200 daily for them to be allowed to sell on their various spots.

    These traders, who sell roasted yam, roasted corn, fruits and suya at night, disclosed that this has been a daily practice by the task force officials.

    The case of a yam seller who lamented her ordeal in the hands of AEPB officials has been the situation of many traders along the streets for some time now.

    Speaking on the situation, the roasted yam seller who sells on the street during the day revealed that she gives the task force men about N200 twice daily for her to be allowed to sell, adding that she has to do so to keep her business going else the task force officials will seize her goods.

    She narrated her ordeal as on one occasion she helplessly watched as the AEPB men took her goods away because she had no money to give them. She revealed that on a day when there are many task force officials sitting in the patrol van they will all be required to pay N2000 each adding that there is a particular group that does not accept money rather they confiscate their goods “some of them no dey collect money, when we see those ones they come we go just run and we go come back when them pass finish”.

    The suya sellers who set out to do business at the early hours of the evening into the night have not had much luck as well, as the task force men are sure to pay them a visit upon closure from their patrol.

    Speaking on how they convey the money to the officials, a suya seller disclosed that upon seeing the AEPB van one of the sellers will go round to collect the usual money, after which it will be submitted to the task force officials.

    These traders however said that they have no choice but to keep complying with these officials as far as after the settlement they are allowed to sell on their various spots.

    All efforts to speak to officials of the AEPB were futile as none was willing to talk.

  • Dogara trains constituents

    Dogara trains constituents

    I am a farmer and also a marketer of farm produce,” said Musa Ahmad from Tafawa Balewa Local Government of Bauchi state. “I have come here and have acquired knowledge in the crops I produce. When my father told me about it, I was very happy and willing to be here.”

    Ahmad was one of those who held tightly to their starter packs, their faces betraying their joy.

    They have just graduated from the Federal College of Horticulture (FCH) at Dadinkowa in Gombe State. They were youths and women who  graduated from the Yakubu Dogara’s Zonal Intervention Project for Women and Youths in Agricultural Products and Practices organised as part of his constituency project and coordinated by the college.

    Madaki  Garyalang, a farmer from Bogoro Local Government, said they were taught fish farming, poultry, and animal fattening. He said he preferred cow fattening, adding that the training opened his eyes to new ideas.

    Lami Ibrahim and Mayo Shuaibu, both from Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State found the skills useful and interesting. Though a crash programme, they were able to grasp the preparation of sesame seed tea and hope to start from there.

    Their illiteracy notwithstanding, they said they would give the manuals to their educated children to put them through on other ventures and the children in the process could also learn something from the book that they may live on for the rest of their lives.

    Hon Aminu Tukur, who represented Dogara at the event, said the programme was informed by the need to make the people see the latent value in what they often overlook and turn them into wealth.

    “We are products of our parents who have been in agriculture. So it is essential that if you want to put in something into our youths, the best approach is to go into agricultural kind of endeavour simply because of the fact that they have that orientation from the word go.

    “The land is there, it is just a matter of additional skill, inputs and improving their capacity. Besides, it is obvious that agriculture is the real deal in the country and people have realised that if you want to grow, grow in agriculture,” said Tukur

    He said the FCH programme was one of the series of programmes being embarked simultaneously upon by the Speaker in other places, assuring the constituents that the efforts would be sustained, participants would be graduating even as one of those programmes within a fortnight interval from this.

    In her remarks, Provost of the College, Professor Fatima B. J. Sawa said the training programme was initially packaged for 750 beneficiaries who would undergo a weeklong training in two batches of 375 apiece.

  • Vacation and speculations

    Not a few Nigerians were worried and heartbroken that President Muham-madu Buhari could not return to the country as earlier scheduled to resume duties from a medical vacation on February 6.

    The President had left the country for the United Kingdom on January 19 after sending a communication to the National Assembly naming Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as Acting President in his absence.

    Few hours after the President left the country, rumour mongers went viral on the social media claiming that the President was dead.

    While some well-meaning Nigerians have expressed genuine concern for the President’s health, other opposing forces have seen it as opportunity to spread rumours to the detriment of the administration.

    The Acting President, the President’s media handlers, and other top government officials, had hectic time countering the rumours.

    They severally insisted in the past three weeks that the President was alive, well, hale and hearty.

    Apart from urging Nigerians to only pray for Mr. President, some pictures of the President in the United Kingdom receiving visitors few days after he left the country were also released to the media.

    He was first seen in pictures with the Ogun State Governor,  Ibikunle Amosun and his wife in a sitting room in the U. K.

    Later,  another set of pictures were released showing the President and his wife,  Aisha in the same apartment.

    Still not satisfied with the pictures, some Nigerians claimed that the pictures were not recent and must have been taking during the President’s earlier visits to the United Kingdom.

    So this group of Nigerians wanted the President to talk to Nigerians from the United Kingdom in a recorded or live transmission, and not just pictures.

    But the Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, in an interview on CNBC Africa, replied those Nigerians with “The fact that he is a president, he still has his rights. Compelling him to come out and talk will be infringing on his rights.

    “The President will talk if he wishes to, if he doesn’t wish to, nobody will compel him to talk.

    “The truth is that the President is on vacation and he has given a date on which he will return to work,’’ he stated

    But the anxiety and worries over the President’s health however heightened in the land when the President could not return to the country last week Sunday on the eve of the expiration  of resumption date specified in his first letter to the National Assembly for ten days vacation.

    More Nigerians even got worried as the statement announcing the extension of the President’s stay in the U. K for medical tests results did not mention when the President will return to the country.

    Some of them immediately concluded that the scenario that played out and resulted in the death of Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in a Saudi hospital in 2010 was repeating itself.

    They felt that those around President Buhari were not sincere to Nigerians and were very economical with the truth about the status of the President’s health.

    But the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, last Wednesday declared that Buhari’s case is far different from Yar’Adua’s.

    He said: “I think I can say without any equivocation that he is well, he is hale and he is hearty no question about that. You see on a lighter note, do you think Mr. President will be ill and we will be here and go about our business like this?  I want to assure you that Mr. President is well and he is absolutely in no danger.

    “I think it was one of the newspapers that said when I was the spokesman of Action Congress (AC), I demanded for hourly bulletin of Yar’Adua’s health and that I ought to be giving hourly bulletin as Minister of Information on the health of the president. And I said you are comparing apples and oranges. Mr. President is not ill, he is not in hospital, there will be no need to give anybody hourly bulletin about his health pure and simple.

    “Mr. President like I said elsewhere is a victim of his own transparency, he was going on leave, he did what the constitution said he should do, he transmitted letter to the National Assembly and an acting president was out in place and he said while I am on leave I am going to conduct some medical tests which all of us do without announcing it.

    “And of course less than six hours after he got there he was pronounced dead by some people. Even those who saw him climb the aircraft in Abuja said he was flown by air ambulance.

    “I can assure you that Mr. President is well, is hale and hearty and no cause for concern. The Acting President speaks to him every day and he told you so. I won’t blame Mr. President too because this is the third time you are declaring him dead.” he stated

    It was also cheering news that Buhari, who has been in constant touch with Osinbajo, also spoke on telephone with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara last Thursday.

    The pictures of Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Bisi Akande in London on Thursday also went a long way to douse the tension in the land.

    As at last Friday, speculations were high again that the President will return to the country at the weekend.

    If the President is yet to return by today, it is really the prayers of well-meaning Nigerians that Nigeria should quickly pass through this phase and the President back in the country to continue his assignment.

    Because many of them who have been greatly impressed with what he has been doing in the fight against corruption and securing the country in the past nineteen months, are eagerly waiting for him to fulfil the CHANGE mantra of his party in other sectors in the next two years.

    They want a better Nigeria than it was nineteen months ago.

     

    Special prayers for Buhari 

     

    Despite being declared hale and hearty, members of Federal Executive Council last Wednesday took time to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership before settling down for the business of the day.

    After the redition of the

    National Anthem, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had called on the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, for the Muslim prayer and Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole Folorunsho for the Christian prayer.

    While Adamu had prayed generally for the well-being of the members and for fruitful proceedings, Isaac was more specific.

    He did not only pray for God to make the President hale and hearty, but sought divine healing for every member of the cabinet.

    He said: “We thank you for the way and manner you have been leading this country. For our leadership it shall be well with them in the name of Jesus.

    “We come against every contrary spirit, every pronouncements of the evil one will come to nothing.

    “We pronounce that our leadership will be hale and hearty in the name of Jesus

    Every other person from the acting president to every member of the cabinet we also pronounce divine healing,” he added.

  • Skills trainees get equipment in Plateau

    Plateau State residents  trained in  entrepreneurial skills have received their equipment to help them start off their new trades.

    The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Rufina Gurumyen  said the Governor Simon Lalong administration would continue its efforts to train youths, women and vulnerable children in the state.

    Hon. Gurumyen stated this during the symbolic presentation of equipment to the trainees held at the Women Multi-purpose center, opposite Plateau Riders in Jos, the state capital.

    She said, “The purpose of the training was to empower the trainees who have acquired different knowledge in skills based on government desires and hope that such training would further improve the lives of the trainees and their families.

    “The various skills acquired during the training at the Apurimac Onlus Nigeria Vocational Centre Rantya and Katako were tailoring, knitting and catering, shoe making, hair dressing and computer operation.

    The commissioner urged the trainees to put what they learnt to good use and even to train others so as to extend the training.

     

  • Govt to review staff housing plots for corporate organisations

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) will review plots of land allocated to corporate organizations meant for staff housing that have not been developed.

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Bayo Onanuga and some officials of his organization who paid the Minister a working visit.

    Onanuga said that the review had become necessary as some of these organizations have been unable to develop the plots of land, in some cases, some of them no longer exist as at today.

    According to him, “the FCT Administration will review allocations of plots meant for organizations’ staff houses for eventual re-allocation to more serious and capable organizations.”

    Bello revealed that his Administration is also working on a blueprint to come up with informal markets to take care of street hawkers that are being taken off the streets.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule,  the minister said that when the activities of street hawkers are adequately contained and alternative provided, the measure would go a long way in reducing traffic congestion in the city.

    The Minister decried the activities of vandals in the Federal Capital Territory; saying that funds drained to replace cables and other public facilities vandalized are so enormous and can better be utilized in providing other services that are begging for attention.

    The Minister assured that his Administration is determined to take Abuja back to the desire of its founding fathers and noted that high-level security has been achieved in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Speaking earlier, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Bayo Onanuga lauded the efforts of the FCT Administration for being able to achieve a lot of developmental strides especially in the areas of security and completion of abandoned road projects around the Federal Capital City despite the lean resources available.

    The Managing Director said that his team was in the FCTA to deepen their relationship for mutual benefits and also requested for a plot of land to build NAN Village for staff houses.

  • Security threat: Over 500 uncompleted buildings under watch

    Security threat: Over 500 uncompleted buildings under watch

    Unfinished buildings have become a source of worry to the authorities because criminals could hatch their plots in them, reports   GBENGA OMOKHUNU

    IT is mainly the fear of the unknown. Will violent criminals launch an attack from that uncompleted and abandoned building in the corner, or that other one over there?

    Those are questions that have agitated the minds of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, (AMMC).

    Acting coordinator of the council, Hajiya Safiya Umar said that the high rate of abandoned buildings in the nation’s capital has become a source of worry to the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) as such uncompleted buildings pose serious security challenge to residents of the territory.

    She stated that the authorities are still considering giving owners the prerogative of seeing whether they could complete their buildings or whether such structures would be demolished.

    Umar who disclosed this during a press briefing also stated that such buildings have been identified as hideouts for criminals operating in the nation’s capital.

    She said, “The Council and the FCT Administration as well as the security operatives know that these places are the hideouts of criminals. But the issue of either demolishing or revoking them, there are so many committees that have sat on the issue, and have made several recommendations. The Council is not in a position to tell you exactly the present position since it is being worked on from the top.

    “So, I cannot actually tell when the uncompleted buildings will be demolished or even whether it will actually be demolished. But equity and good conscience have made the FCT Administration to reach out to the owners of these structures, through newspaper advertisement in recent past.

    “I think we are still considering giving them the prerogative of seeing whether they could come in and complete their buildings, before the powers that be decide on next line of action”.

    Acting Director, Development Control Department under the Council, Mukhtar Galadima, who puts the total figure of such structures at over 500, disclosed that the department has compiled the list of all abandoned structures in the city.

    He said the department forwarded the list to the Department of Land Administration, which gave it the addresses of the owners, and with the approval of FCTA, the AMMC published the names of these individuals, given the timeframe within which to comply, failure of which the Administration will decide appropriately.

    Commenting on the recent High Court judgment stopping the planned demolition of illegal structures in Mpape, the director said the Department is still discussing with its head of Legal team for the possibility of appealing the judgment.

    “But the good thing about the said judgment is that due process was not followed. So if we were to follow due process in serving all relevant notices, and getting necessary approvals and orders, we can go ahead and do the demolition.

    “There is also a judgment before this (the latest court verdict) which says that he who has no title over land, we don’t need to serve him or her notice, because it is considered as illegal development.

    “But all the same, we are prepared to serve all the relevant notices and follow due process, to make sure that all the holes and leakages are blocked. Then we will go and do the needful, carry out the demolition exercise”, Galadima affirmed.

    When pressed to state exactly when the department will embarked on the planned demolition of the suburb, he insisted; “I cannot precisely say how soon it will be, as it depends on the outcome of the appeal against the current judgment; and we have 30-day window to file an appeal. I’m not saying that Mpape must go, but due process will be followed”.

    Hajiya Umar also said that residents of Gidan Mangoro resettlement and other resettlement communities in the Federal Capital Territory will soon heave a sigh of relief as the FCT Administration has vowed to open up road networks aimed at decongesting the city centre.

    She revealed that the development of satellite towns will receive priority attention by the present administration.

    Umar said it was the duty and responsibility of the AMMC to manage the city and offer advice to the area councils on how manage their councils, adding that the council is committed to minimize the challenges of the residents of these resettlement communities.

    The Ag. Coordinator revealed that apart from Gidan Mangoro, other resettlement communities that have been mapped out for opening up the road networks by AMMC include Kichuku, Apo Mechanic and Kubwa Mechanic village resettlement.

    Umar said the Department of Development Control was done with the infrastructure design of these communities and that they were ready to move in whenever funds were made available.