By JOHN ONAH, Abuja –
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has commissioned the 5 storey office complex of the Abuja Property Development Company (APDC) located at Plot 1329, Peace Drive, Central Business District, Abuja.
The Minister in his address commended the pioneer as well as the current management and staff of the APDC for building it from a small company to what it is today and said that with the right attitude, innovation, adaptability to dynamic situations and dedication to work, even government companies can not only grow but also turn a profit while meeting the objectives for which they were established.
Speaking further, he commended the company for the innovations it adapted in managing the company, saying that was the way construction for sale to the public should be done using the Company’s Capital Estate along Kubwa Expressway as an example.
He however condemned the actions by unscrupulous developers especially on the fringes of the Federal Capital City (FCC) who construct without appropriate permission and said that such buildings will be pulled down no matter how highly placed their owners were.
“There are certain investors, unscrupulous persons who decide especially on the fringes of the city, to build without permission, to build on unallocated land, to build with impunity and to spend enormous amount of resources on fraudulent allocations or non at all and without building permits. You must probably have noticed that over the last few weeks, we have been demolishing and we will continue to demolish them”
The Minister also warned that going forward, any investor or developer that attacks staff of the FCTA in the course of their duties will be brought up on criminal charges and duly prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The Minister laid emphasis on this saying “We want to develop the city but the city has to be developed in an organized manner,just like it is done in all parts of the world”.
The Minister added that the Administration was working closely with the Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria (REDAN), the National Assembly as well as the EFCC and ICPC because a number of the identified offending properties were purchased withill-gotten funds and the properties used to launder such funds. All these, the Minister said would no longer be accepted.
Malam Bello also said that staff of the FCTA who signs off on, and allows illegal buildings to be developed will also be punished saying “for every property that is allowed to stand and an official somewhere has not done his or her work, we will not spare these officials as well because at the end of the day, it is the off-takers that lose out.
He also advised off-takers or other investors who wish to purchase any property to do their due diligence and ensure that the properties they are interested in are genuine and the developer, was genuine.
He however assured genuine developers and investors that their properties will not be touched as long as their properties were erected on genuinely allocated land with the proper documents, adding that they should also procure the services of a solicitor for legal guidance and advice before concluding any purchase.
He also assured that the FCTA will place emphasis on planning and development control measures in the establishment of estates to ensure that facilities such as play areas, provision for community centers-shoppingfacilities, places of worship and educational facilities are included.
The Minister explained that part of the reasons why flooding sometimes affect residential estates was because development control plans were not enforced and assured that this was going to change because every live is sacrosanct.
The idea of living on an estate according to the Minister, is to live in a community that is safe, serene, beautiful and peaceful so that people can raise their families and children in an environment that makes them productive as a people.
Concluding, Malam Bello said “we cannot just create estates where every square inch is dedicated to building and that’s why our enforcement activities will be enhanced.”
Responding to a call for for the establishment of farmers market in the FCT, the Minister assured that as many of such facilities will be established before the end of his tenure and also commended the efforts of Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar for his efforts in developing the FCT during his short spell as FCT Minister.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the APDC Builder Lawal Magaji paid tribute to his predecessors and said that the building was constructed without taking any loans and that parts of it were already leased out and commended the FCT Minister for his support for the company.
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