The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the lifting of the ban on building approvals in the territory.
This was disclosed by the Director of the Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima when he visited some satellite towns for sensitisation.
Meanwhile, the FCTA has commenced a comprehensive post-development audit of Abuja satellite towns, signalling the recommencement of processing and granting of building approvals in the areas.
Flagging off the exercise yesterday at the Dawaki area of Abuja, the Director of the FCT Department of Development Control said the process aimed at enabling the department to access and grant building approval to those who had built without approvals.
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Galadima stated that owners of property in satellite towns are expected to within 21 days submit the requisite information for necessary action.
He noted that there was a new policy in the FCT looking at the new administration direction which requires them to do whatever they can do to put things in order.
He appealed to residents to give FCTA officials maximum cooperation, because the exercise is for the benefit of all.
•As FCTA commences post-development audit in Satellite Towns
He recalled that because of the lack of engineering design in these satellite towns, the FCTA was asked not to grant approvals to some of them, adding that some like Dawaki, where the exercise kicked off, were now to have engineering design.
He said, “What is taking place is a post-development audit of Satellite Towns. Due to the lack of engineering design in these satellite towns, were asked not to grant approvals to some of them. But, some like Dawaki where we are starting now to have engineering design.
“There are over 15 towns, and when you look at such towns like Gwagwalada, Kuje, Karshi, Bwari, Abaji, etc, we want to cover all the satellite towns. So, we are commencing the post-development audit, so that those that built without approvals, we can now assess them, and grant them such approvals.”
Explaining the modality for the exercise, the Director said, “We have drafted a format where we are going to divide these settlements into clusters, and the officers have been distributed into the clusters, as they will go out and share the format and explain it to the owners of the built property, letting them know the essence of the exercise.
“Within 21 days, we are expecting the owners of the property to submit the requisite information that is expected of them for necessary action.
“It is in line with the extant laws because in the FCT you cannot build without approval, so if you have built without approval, the best way to go is to furnish us with the necessary information within the stipulated time. If it is something that can be done, we can approve it as built but if it is something that we cannot approve, we will say it can’t be condoned, hence we have to remove it.
“As a city, we need to have a database for the development taking place in terms of services to be rendered and some many perimeters, and even for researches on the process of developing a new capital city.
“Also, at the end of the day it is going to boost our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) profile, those people that are going to pay us approval fees. We have improved on our system approval granting process.
In a related development, Galadima also visited the infamous scavengers’ colony that the FCT Minister stormed a week ago, and directed that all the trees should be cleared, so that the invaders will leave the place.
He has revealed that the tree clearing has covered about two kilometres, while sending the scavengers away from the site, adding that the FCTA was taking inventory of all the plots around the road corridor to get in touch with them, to show presence there.
A land owner around the road corridors, in Mabushi, Kayode Olumudeji, who was on site, said upon seeing the ongoing massive clearing exercise in the area, he and other plot allottees are happy with the development.
