By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished mechanic shops illegally constructed on the land earmarked for livestock market at Kugbo on Abuja-Nyanya- Keffi express way.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah who led the demolition on Saturday, said the affected mechanics were served quit notices in the last past three years with reminder about five months ago to leave the area.
He explained that the exercise followed the complaints received from the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, that some mechanics have taken over the land that was originally designated for livestock market.
The minister’s aide regretted that the situation had forced the ram sellers to move close to the main road which contradict sanity of the nation’s capital.
Attah stated that dismantling the structures was in line with the commitment of the present minister of FCT Malam Muhammad Bello to maintain sanity and restore the master plan.
He said: “In our efforts to sanitize the city in the moment of Eid al – Adha, we discovered that the Kugbo ram market is not where it’s ought to be, the stretch from the electric pole down to the other side has been occupied by the mechanics and some persons who deal on other items have forced the ram market out of its original place.
“Upon the complaints that we received from the secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat and the need for us to conform to the Abuja master plan, we cane here to clear the illegal mechanic shops.
“This is because we have given them warning for the last past three years and in the last five months ago. With this clean up the ram sellers can now have a good stretch that can be well planned by the agric Secretariat, where to keep ram, goat and cows and many others.
“The mechanics have their own land but they refused to stay there rather they decided to come and stay where is not meant for them, they have cornered what belongs to Abuja ram market by the FCTA.
“So we have removed them from the entire stretch of land earmarked for ram market” Attah stated.
