Abia Govt Begins Demolition of Illegal Structures in Aba

BY CHUKWUEBUKA OHIZU / UMUAHIA

In a joint effort, the Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area (LGA) Town Planning Authority, Obingwa LGA Town Planning Authority, Aba North LGA Town Planning Authority, Aba South LGA Town Planning Authority and Ugwunagbo LGA Town Planning Authority on Wednesday began demolition of illegal structures and sealing of unapproved structures within Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State.

Note that Aba, as a mega city is made up of the above-mentioned five Local Government Areas whose Town Planning Authorities jointly began the exercise which they said henceforth will continue until the city is sanitized and placed in the right direction of development as approved by the government.

The exercise which started from Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area led to the sealing of a Petroleum Filling Station at Umuojima Junction, along the Aba-Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway which the owner reported refused to get a permit and threatened to attack the authorities before the sealing.

In the same Osisioma Ngwa LGA, precisely on Udeagbala Road, over 26 lock-up stores built on the fence of Saint Silas Anglican Church, Ayaba-Umueze were sealed by the authorities because they were built under the electricity high-tension wire, a situation the authorities said posses danger to those doing businesses under such a dangerous location.

Still at the same Udeagbala Road, a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plant built on a gas pipeline was demolished. According to the authorities, several warnings were given to the owner to remove the plant as it posed a danger to the lives of everybody in the area, but the owner refused.

Also at down Immaculate Avenue, off Aba Waterside, in Umungasi, Osisioma Ngwa LGA, another LPG plant was seen to have been built on the Aba Section of the Eastern Railway and was equally demolished.

Okpu-Umuobo Comprehensive Secondary School in Osisioma Ngwa LGA an ongoing structure inscripted to be a project of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) where the authority’s Institute and a mini stadium is being constructed was sealed because the ongoing project did not get any approval nor the plan seen by the town Planning Authority.

In Aba North, several buildings were sealed for not getting approval from the authorities while some unscrupulous activities were equally discovered around the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) facilities where some people claimed that some staff of NRC sold some sections of the corporation’s premises to them to erect buildings without any approval.

Still in Aba North, precisely at Ukaegbu Road, Ogbor-Hill, a petroleum filling station under construction was sealed because the owner did not get any approval, but went ahead to begin construction and information from the Town Planning Authorities has it that such business or structure is not allowed in that area.

In Obingwa LGA a Church was sealed at Ovom Ama Asaa,

a residential building was sealed at Umuogele where the owner, boasted that he is an indigene of the community and therefore, does not need any approval to begin his project. Also, a Petroleum Filling Station along Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road was sealed as well because the developer began construction without permission without approval.

In Aba South LGA, the Azikiwe Road Primary School that was demolished last year and the premises now used for erecting what looks like a fast food centre and a four-storey residential building was sealed by the authorities who said the place is government land that the developers need to prove that government gave them the land.

The authorities while in Aba South LGA equally stopped at Ngwa Road Market (Ahia-Ohuru) precisely line-4 and line-5 where the officials said that buildings are very weak and that people selling anything under it are risking their lives.

The five Town Planning Authorities were led by Town Planner Chigoziri Ahaiwe, the Executive Secretary of Osisioma Ngwa Town Planning Authority, Town Planner Ahuruonye Okezie, Executive Secretary Obingwa Town Planning Authority, Town Planner Charles Ezerah, Executive Secretary Aba South Town Planning Authority and Town Planner Mrs Constant Ekwuruibe, Executive Secretary Aba North Town Planning Authority.

Speaking to journalists on behalf of his colleagues, Town Planner Chigoziri Ahaiwe said, “We’ve gone to various sites and none of them has a planning permit. The authorities never permitted those sites. Some were constructed under the high-tension lines, there are some of them we demolished that were constructed on a gas pipeline.

“Imagine a situation where somebody consciously constructed a gas plant along a gas pipeline. We equally demolished another gas plant along the Eastern Railway. So, those structures are not permitted here. Some we sealed equally blocked the road. People are building with impunity here.

“The authorities are saying no that if we all desire are good city, we must jointly sanitise it. We appeal to our people to always come to authorities to get approval before putting the money to construct what is not permitted in certain areas.

“There are areas we can’t allow any of to site a Petroleum Filling Station. We’re not saying you should not build anything there, but we have different things we approve for certain areas.

“This exercise will continue because we must clear our streets and roads off some projections and extensions that block drainages. We’ll clear all those things and standards must return to this city.

“Here, people put their resources at risk by building before seeking for permit and they must realize that it’s not everything that’s allowed.”

Speaking on Azikiwe Road Primary School when asked by journalists to explain more about it, Ahiwe said, “That building does not have the permission of the authority. There are no documents the developer has submitted to our office.

“We cannot say categorically that the government has allocated that place to anybody for now. However, if the developer can prove that the government duly allocated that place to him, we can now look at the development plans and approve them.

“But where the developer fails to prove that the government allocated that place to him, definitely it has been built illegally on government land and it must go down.”

He warned all those who will disregard the sealing order that nothing will stop the law from taking its course on them and equally advised all intending developers to visit the office of the Town Planning Authority in their various local governments to know whether whatever they want to build is allowed in the location they have.

“Anybody that disregards our sealing order, the law will take its course. The law is clear on that. The planning authorities are here to serve the people and make our land a better place. We do not derive joy in destroying what people have erected.

“But I advise that our offices are open before they embark on any development, they should come and get information if a certain place is idle for a certain development.”

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.