The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has directed the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) to intensify the demolition of shanties and illegal settlements in Abuja.
The move is aimed at curbing the increasing insecurity faced by residents of the capital city. This directive was given to the AEPB by the FCT Minister, and it is a multi-agency exercise that has been ongoing for some time.
According to Osi Braimah, the Director of AEPB, the demolition of shanties and illegal settlements will improve the sanitation of the city and address the security challenges associated with them. The ongoing demolition exercise includes shanty shops built in the COVID-19 market in Area 11, Abuja.
The director said that the majority of people living in the homes are without addresses or identification, which could create challenges in terms of insecurity.
“That is why it is essential that we expand and achieve the objective set by the FCT minister.
“That is why the FCT minister has asked everyone to develop their properties in the FCT to avoid illegal construction of properties on vacant land.
“Before we embark on demolitions, we normally give abatement notices, we don’t come one day to remove illegal structures,” Braimah said.
He urged residents to pay their waste management bills, noting that the government is facing a big challenge in the area of collecting waste management bills.
“We provide services and it is a struggle to collect money for the services provided. As I have always said in the past, paying for waste services is not a fee, it is not a tax,” said the director.