By Daniel Tyokua
The FCT Ministerial Task force Team on City Sanitation has marked major areas suspected to be criminals den on Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport road corridor for demolition.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the Minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah who led the the exercise on Tuesday, said the places pose security threat.
He said the bulldozer would in few days hit the Bassanjiwa, Fataan community that are near the main gate of the local wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
Attah also disclosed that all the shanties and illegal structures around the BassanJiwa station of the railway close to the Airport corridor will be pulled down.
According to him, the planned demolition was in continuation of the minister’s directives to keep the city free from illegalities that usually serve as haven for criminals.
The Taskforce, also marked illegal structures at Karonmajiji and other shanties that take over Kuje township road, causing unabated grilock.
Attah said:”Marking of these structures is a prelude to the intensive work that we have planned to do in most part of the city to keep it more safe.
“We started with Karonmajiji, then BassanJiwa where people have built up to the railway line which is very bad, the structures are even touching the rail pillars, and for security reasons we wouldn’t allowed such to stand. In Kuje, the traffic in the heart of the town is very bad and we have to reclaim it. We can’t sit down and watch the illegalities to continue.
He said pulling down of shanties that have taken over Kuje township road would start after consultation with the chairman of the Area Council,the traditional ruler and other key stakeholders.
“Kuje own, we will do more of engagement in collaboration with the stakeholders on the need for the people to understand that the illegal structures must be removed”
On his part, the Director Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima said Kuje is not in the city centre but was one of the satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory that deserves serious attention from the department