Residents of Sokale Village of Dutse Alhaji, Bwari Area Council have been given a 21 days ultimatum by the department of development control to vacate their houses in view of the demolition which might take place at the area next month.
Houses to be affected by the demolition exercise are those within 25 meters from high tensions at the area.?
When LEADERSHIP visited the area on Friday, residents were seen watching helplessly as officials of the department measured the area and marked their houses for demolition.
One of the affected residents, Francis Ilah lamented what he called the insensitivity of landlords who would build houses in areas where they are not supposed to be built and wondered where he would find the money to rent another house for his family.
“Nobody should blame tenants who pay rent for houses. Landlords are the cause of all these problems. How would you build a house where you know that it is not acceptable? I have not even stayed here up to a year,” he lamented.
Another resident, Amanama Isaac who said he had moved into his? house last month from Mpape? expressed worry over how to get his rent back since his landlord was also affected.
“I need to be refunded eleven months of my rent. I don’t even know how to go about it. As you can see, my landlord’s house was divided into two.? They are going to demolish half of it. At least he has half of the house to stay until he has another alternative,’’ he said.
Many of the residents who spoke to LEADERSHIP expressed mixed feelings over the demolition. While some agreed that it was the right thing to do, others were of the opinion that the marked houses were not in any way unsafe since they were not directly under the high tension wires.
“What the department is doing is important. People live in all kinds of places that are dangerous. It is left for those people to tell them about it and send them parking or they will stay there. When something happens now, they will start blaming government,” Andy Eze, a resident said.
Another resident, Amina Hassan argued that the houses marked were far away from the high tension saying, “As far as they are not directly under the high tension, I vote that the houses be left alone.? Life is hard in Abuja. People have to make do with what they have.”
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