Relief came the way of Abuja developers at the weekend as Department of Development under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), reached an agreement on how to avoid further demolition of built-up estates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Development Control had recently carried out various demolitions in some estates’ sites in different parts of Abuja, citing illegal building on buffer zones and no building approvals, among others as reasons.
This had drawn the agency against REDAN, which claimed its members were put under pressure and had lost a great deal of their investments due to the apathy caused by the demolition exercise. The association last week petitioned the National Assembly and also threatened court action.
But after a closed-door meeting of both parties’ top executives over the weekend at Development Control office in Abuja, resolutions, which includes immediate set-up of a joint task force comprising both parties’ representatives to carryout periodic inspection of ongoing estate projects were reached.
Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting at the premises of Development Control, REDAN President, Chief Olabode Afolayan, said it was agreed that no demolition would be done without carrying the association along and when there was need for developers to comply, the agency would notify REDAN.
In his remarks, Yahaya expressed readiness of the agency to work with the organized private sector, especially REDAN in ensuring sanity in the real estate sector of the FCT.??
With specific reference to Lugbe, he urged developers, especially those trying to put up new estates to wait for the new layout being prepared by the Urban Regional Planning Department (URPD) before commencing work.