Flooding: FCTA Demolishes 30 Buildings at Trademore Estate

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

To mitigate flooding, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) yesterday removed over 30 houses affecting  the flood plains at Trademore Estate, around the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The demolition exercise was carried out by the FCT Minister Taskforce Team led by Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah.

Attah said that the 30 structures demolished were among the over 100 houses marked for demolition at the estate.

He lamented that the estate has always been prone to flooding causing loss of lives and damage to property especially during the rainy season.

“Some developers are fond of carrying out excessive development on the flood plain in Trademore Estate in violation of building codes and master plan of the FCT. This situation is also very disturbing to the FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello, who authorised the demolition exercise.

“All the houses that are going down were marked and some have been marked as long as three years ago. Some were marked at foundation level, window level and roofing level. The final marking was about four days ago. And we gave them 48 hours plus an extended grace of 24 hours,” Attah said.

He added that the FCTA was still engaging the critical stakeholders at the estate on how they can use the Solution Act to resolve the fate of the 70 marked buildings.

He also reiterated the unwillingness of FCTA to pay compensation saying there was neither a building plan nor approval nor allocation on the flood plain.

 One of the victims of the demolition, Sadat Bankole, who has been leaving in the community for over 10 years, offered support for the demolition if the exercise would save and prevent further loss of lives.

She also called for the prosecution of the developer of Trademore Estate for criminal diversion of water flow and for building houses on flood plain.