NAN – Mr Yahaya Yusuf, the Director, Department of Development Control, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), says the mandate of the department is beyond removal of illegal structures in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Yusuf, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 in Abuja, said the AMMC was also a development assisting agency.
According to him, the department resorts to demolition of structures when developers fail to comply with stipulated guidelines.
He said the department applied universal standards in regulating construction of buildings in the FCT, to avoid the emergence of slums in parts of the territory.
‘‘A structure is illegal when it has no approved plan or if it has an approved plan that was ignored by the developer.
‘’But illegal structures do not necessarily have to be demolished unless it becomes exigent or if developers become recalcitrant to our specifications.
‘’Sometimes when we go for removal, we discover that some parties are in the process of regularising their papers; we leave them; we take decisions in the best interest of the public.
”Even the series of notices we give before demolition are an indication that we consider demolition a last resort,’’ he said.
Yusuf said that the nature of demolition made it attract more public attention than other functions of the department.
‘‘We now engage in a lot of sensitisation and public enlightenment, to make the public aware of the right steps to take in construction, and we also liaise directly with artisans on the sites.
‘‘In 2014, we gave thousands of building approvals, consisting mainly of estates of more than 100 buildings, and you can imagine the level of impact that will have on the lives of residents.
“‘We plan to improve on this in 2015, but the spectacular nature of demolition shifts public attention from these modest achievements,’’ the director said.
He said that the department maintained a high level of independence and could not be used to settle political scores.
Yusuf said that the department had commenced the review of the FCT Development Control Manual to accommodate the influx of people migrating into the city on a daily basis.
He said the review would also encourage private developers to fund the territory’s infrastructure development.
“Due to the influx of people into the city, there is the need to encourage greater private funding of world-class infrastructure.
“The manual sets out the requirement of individuals in constructing physical structures within the territory, in line with the Abuja Master Plan.
“ The manual was last reviewed in 2007 and the territory is experiencing a rapid population growth, necessitating a further review,’’ he said.
According to him, the aim is to create a smarter, greener and a more energy-efficient city, adding that this cannot be achieved without reviewing standards and principles to fit current realities.
The director noted that the idea was also to allow for the construction of regulated high-rise buildings by private developers and to also encourage them to make returns on their investments, he said.
