By Daniel Tyokua
The coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu has said any building without valid title documents will not be given approval for development.
Briefing journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, he said the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Department of Development Control is responsible for granting building plan approvals, not land approval and must subject all proposed buildings to the necessary checks.
The coordinator stated that building approvals are done without a fee but must meet the best standards.
He explained that the department grants approval within an average period of ninety days which all the requirements including confirmation of title documents must be met.
Shuaibu said the initiative was in line with the provisions of section 34 (4) of the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Law CAP N138, LFN 2004, as amended.
He said it is worrisome that while the Department had simplified the procedure and processes for granting building permit, there were some recalcitrant developers that always refused to abide by the set rules and regulations.
According to him, erring developers’ actions has been igniting crises in the territory resulting to legal battles which affect social matters, with dire consequences to the development of the Federal Capital Territory.
Shuaibu said, “It is pertinent for the intending developers to note that in as much as Abuja Metropolitan Management Council do not have the power to allocate plot, they do not have the power to revoke.
“We must also be sure that there is no contending issue surrounding plot ownership before granting a development permit. But out of desperation or treachery on the part of some developers, our staff, in the course of ensuring due process and fairness in handling complicated matters, become victims of unwarranted harassment with framed-up charges against them by some dubious and recalcitrant developers”
The coordinator linked some challenges confronting AMMC to legal bottlenecks including court actions and orders that hinder, or delay grant of development permit.
“Some of the court orders are for maintenance of status-quo, while in a conflicting situation one developer would be allowed to continue to work on site at the detriment of the other party, who might finally be declared as the rightful owner of a competing land title” he said.
