Aminat Yahaya —
The Chairman of residents of Trademore Estate in Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Adewale Adeleke have in a press conference yesterday, appealed to the FCT Administration to rescind its planned demolition of the estate.
This is in response to the marking of the estate as a “disaster zone” by the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, on June 27, after heavy downpour on the 23rd of June submerged 116 houses in the estate
Adesola had promised that the FCT administration would address the problem.
:FCTA Labels Trademoore Estate ‘Disaster Zone’
Similarly, Malam Shehu Ahmed, the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), last Saturday announced the decision to demolish all structures on waterways across the nation’s capital.
Ahmed said that buildings within the estate were earlier marked for demolition on several occasions, alonside series of warnings and quit notices for the residents to vacate
The executive secretary, who is the chairman, Special Ministerial Task Team on Flood Mitigation, disclosed that a Police station, alongside other buildings in the estate, would be demolished.
:Reactions Trail Flooding Of Trademore Estate
However, the chairman of the residents, told journalists at the news conference that demolition would not solve the recurrent flooding in the estate.
Adeleke said that the proposed demolition, if executed, would create humanitarian problems, adding that it would increase the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the FCT.
”Rather than bring down houses in the estate, Aleita Dam should be evacuated, while the three culverts from ecological road, after Trademore, should be expanded.
”The water channel after the estate should also be expanded to accommodate more volume of water,” he said
The Chairman explained that the estate was built in 2007 when Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) was in charge of land allocation.
He added that the estate developer, Trademore Holdings Ltd., got the necessary allocation papers and approval from AMAC accordingly.
He further explained that when the FCTA took over, the developer went for recertification as directed by the administration, adding that no allottee on airport road has been recertified till date.
He said that 90 per cent of the houses in the estate were dully mortgaged and financed by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
“As such, Trademore Estate is not illegal and it is not a disaster zone.
”What we need is the implementation of the recommended solutions to the flooding,” he said.
