by Emma Elekwa

Barely one month after some traders in the Kubwa main market were sent packing by the authorities of Bwari Area Council through demolition, most people affected by the demolition are yet to get over the shock occasioned by the exercise.

While some are presently staying with relations or friends, who are shop owners at the market, others have resorted to displaying their wares at other convenient places available to them.

Others still, have completely closed down business, as they could not face the challenge and risk of losing their valuable goods in the course of being pursued by the task force officials.

One of those affected, Kamilu Adamu Sauwa, narrated his ordeal to Aso Chronicle. He said that he is yet to overcome the emotional and physiological trauma he encountered as a result of the exercise.

Visibly devastated, the 30-year old man disclosed that he had spent not less than 15 years in the market selling garden eggs, the business he had used to train himself and others in school. 

A second year student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kamilu expressed fears that the abrupt suspension of his ‘lucrative’ business as a result of the exercise might lead to the end of his academic pursuit.  

According to him, although they had earlier been informed of the imminent closure of their businesses, the visit by task force officials still stunned most of them.

“They told us that that day was sanitation. So we came out a bit late than the usual time we used to come. By the time we came, we saw our tables and chairs being packed into the trucks,” he lamented.

Kamilu, who further accused the council authorities of insincerity and insensitivity to their plights, wondered why they should be treated as aliens even in their fatherland.

“They said they would pursue those who have converted some of the shops to residential apartments. They have not carried out the operation yet but they have rendered us jobless,” he bemoaned. 

While acknowledging that where they were trading is illegal, he pleaded with the authorities to facilitate the relocation process in view of the economic loss and other adverse effects they face. 

However, Chairman, Shop Users Association, Simon Peter Onuoha, expressed appreciation to the council authorities for the measures been taken to give the market a face lift.

He however urged them not to stop only at removing the illegal structures, but to provide the market with some basic facilities like water and toilet.

Meanwhile, the Head of Department, Environmental, Bwari Area Council, Haruna Labaran Ahmed, has called for patience, understanding and cooperation from the aggrieved traders as he said his team is not resting on its oars to ensure they are properly settled as soon as possible.

He said the government was not unaware of the present challenges being faced by the traders as a result of the exercise. 

Haruna explained that the move was “both in their best interest and that of the customers, who hardly patronize them due to the absence of parking spaces in the market.”

Kubwa Online

It was all panic  and  tears  during the week when officials of Development Control Department of Federal capital Territory, (FCTA) rolled out their bulldozers and pulled down  over 15 buildings  in Kubwa.

The department said that it carried out the demolition  after  serving notices last  month to the occupants of the structures built on flood plains at Kubwa.  

According to Tpl Yussuff Abdullahi Sudangi, District Officer, Kubwa, he said, “we are here to remove illegal structures on the flood plains, we have marked several locations, we have countless number of structures, along the flood plains without requisite approved plans and the marking was done since January.’’

When asked if those affected would be compensated, Sodangi said  the compensation aspect would be decided by his  superiors.

As at the time of filing this report, fifteen houses have been demolished and several others still waiting to be pulled down.

Narrating his ordeals, one of the victims of the demolition exercise, Emmanuel Okoro, whose restaurant was pulled down, said he  was not served with any notice, stating that he was only told that the extension of his building was too close to the river, which he agreed to remove but was not allowed before his building was brought down. 

Similarly, a   2-storey  building  said to belong  to the Association of  Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in Maitama has been pulled down on the premise that the building was illegally erected.

The two-storey building which was built between two fences was said to be part of Ella Crescent and where the building was erected was closed.

Addressing news men, District Officer of Maitama, Isa Aliyu said, “this particular building is on a crescent which is a part of Ella Crescent, we served several notices before this demolition.”

Aliyu added that when the notice was served, the police officer attached to the building refused to collect the notice but asked them to drop it at ALGON office which they did.