By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has explained why its officials saddled with the responsibility of maintaining sanity in the territory, demolished the popular UTC shopping complex in Area 10.
The Deputy Director, Monitoring and Inspection, Department of Development Control, Hassan Ogbole, after the exercise at the weekend, said the over 30 years building was pulled down to pave way for remodeling.
He said pulling down of the structure, which is in a strategic location would help to put in place another building that will meet up with the desired standards.
Ogbole noted that the initiative would also strengthen activities of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that will drive a better economy.
He said measures have been put in place for the traders and other occupants of the Complex to relocate for remodeling work to go on.
Prior to the demolition, he said several notices were served on the occupants of the place , to enable them move out and allow the construction to start, but many of them refused to vacate.
Ogbole said: “The place is in state of disrepair, is no longer habitable for occupation and business activities. The place has to give way for a new development.
” The company handling the development has informed Development Control and we are here to enforce compliance. We have given them enough notices for them to remove their goods, to enable us start the work”.
The Secretary, Command and Control, FCTA Department of Security, Peter Olumiji, also said demolishing the Complex was necessary to curtain the security challenges in the Area.
He noted that apart from restructuring the place to meet global standards, there was need to curtail the criminal activities prevalent in the place.
Olumiji disclosed that plans to remodel the place, was carefully designed to end the thuggery that rubbishes the image of the place, especially faking of official documents.
One of the traders in the Complex, Samuel Onuchukwu, said the traders and other occupants of the Complex were worried because the temporary site provided for the developers, was not secured for business.
Onuchukwu disclosed that many of the traders were yet to remove their goods and properties from the shops and offices.
According to him, “We woke up early in the morning on Saturday to discover that the whole UTC area has been barricaded, and bulldozer is pull down the building, with people’s personal goods still inside”.
