PRESS RELEASE: FCTA TO RETRIEVE ALL GOVERNMENT LANDS IN ABUJA

The FCT Administration has vowed that any government landed property illegally encroached upon by any person or corporate organization would be retrieved and returned to the government intact.

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello made this vow during an unscheduled visit to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) Dump Site in Gosa, Sewer Treatment Plant, Wupa and the proposed Waste Transfer Station at Mpape over the weekend.

The Minister insisted that such land would have to be retrieved and returned to the government for its original uses in line with the Abuja Master Plan.

His words: “Any government property or government land encroached in Abuja will be taken back and given to the government and that is the easiest of our jobs because it’s government that gives people land.”

Malam Bello reiterated, “If somebody encroaches on government land, it’s very easy for government to take back its land because nobody can take government’s land and get away with it.”

To ensure that liquid and solid wastes are well managed and disposed off in the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister revealed that all the departments of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board would be strengthened.

According to him, the strengthening will involve some massive staff changes so that the Board would be geared towards doing what needs to be done.

Malam Bello added, “it will also include the rehabilitation of existing facilities and as a matter of fact, even creation of news ones because the city is growing at a very fast pace and it is obvious that our facilities for cleaning the city have lagged very much behind”.

He decried that the small office block at the proposed Waste Transfer Station is obviously not enough to serve as a sorting centre for the entire city; stressing “this facility here can however take care of waste management in the Maitama District since its closer to the place”.

Muhammad Hazat Sule, FCAI

Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary,

Wednesday, March 9, 2016.