The Chairman of the Trademore Residents Association, Adewale Adenaike, shares his thoughts with DAMILOLA AINA on the planned demolition of houses in the estate by the Federal Capital Development Authority
What is the current situation on the proposed demolition by the Federal Capital Development Authority?
Ordinarily, in a saner clime, we would have expected the authorities to engage the residents but none of that has been done yet. Maybe they have forgotten that this issue is currently beyond the developer and that residents now have a say in what happens in the area. It (land in the Estate) has been sold to us and we have a right to stay. They are no longer coming to demolish houses but homes to Nigerians who need shelter.
They have refused to say anything meaningful about it instead, they have the audacity to go on air and allocate to themselves the power that doesn’t belong to them, telling lies to Nigerians that this place is a disaster zone. We know they have maintained their stance to demolish over 2,000 houses despite alternative engineering solutions that have been proffered. We are interested in collaboration and discussion. However, if they are not willing to find solutions or make any attempt to bring buildings down in this area, we will resist them with all we have.
A petition was also written to the FCT Permanent Secretary. Can you explain its content?
The said petition was instituted by the developer himself. However, it is in agreement with what the residents are fighting for. The petition is simply to inform the officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority to look at alternative solutions and also emphasise the need to have a roundtable discussion. The mounting pressure on people’s lives by the continuous threats is unnecessary and they must call everybody to a meeting where we can address the issues.
Dredging of the drainage is also going on. Is that part of the residents’ action plan or is it an initiative by the government?
As proactive residents, we decided to look inwards as well, and in collaboration with the developer, he has graciously agreed to deepen the channel and widen the drainage and this is what is ongoing right now as you enter the estate. The channel that runs through Trademore Estate is being deepened and widened. The adjoining retaining walls built to retain water will be reconstructed to allow the free flow of water through Trademore into other parts of the FCT.
Even with the current solution, if water channels outside Trademore are not re-engineered, it is back to square one and wasted effort. The reason for this noise we are making is that the government failed in its responsibility to do the right thing. Trademore is a mass housing scheme that is different from other estates being developed by the ‘big boys’ of Abuja and considered untouchable. Other private estates are built on waterways but the authorities have not said anything about them because they are owned by wealthy private developers. The annual flood is due to the diversion of water from other areas.
Are you saying the flood path created by the government was not properly planned?
I can say categorically that the flood channel in Abuja was not properly planned. To hit the nail on the head, many houses are currently built on waterways. The moment it rains, everywhere is flooded. Abuja floods are not only in Trademore but in surrounding areas too. This means it needs a holistic and not a piecemeal approach.
You need to look at the whole thing because it is workable. You can’t displace people because of the flood rather you send away the flood for the people to stay but instead in Abuja here, they would rather want to displace residents because of the flood. That is a lazy way of thinking and lazy engineering methods. The important thing is for water and flood engineers to sit down and work out a design fit for this area. We are saying we are willing to work with them to solve this issue with the calibre of professionals living in this estate.
According to you, there are 74 estates under construction in this area. How have they contributed to this menace?
This area has been in existence for 15 years and in the early years, there were no issues because minimal development was ongoing but as we speak, 74 estates are under construction. Right now, our relationship with them is quite passive and at the moment, we are only concentrating on resolving the issues in Trademore Estate.
However, we are informing other residents around us and making them understand that the effect of certain things they are doing is the reason for the flood. They have not been proactive and this fact has been stated in our report which we are submitting to the FCT Senator, Ireti Kingibe, so that she can be aware. The truth is that certain remedial works need to be carried out in adjoining estates and we can only achieve that through collaboration to solve this issue. We can’t do it alone.
This is where the FCDA and development control are needed because we can’t enter these adjoining estates. It is quite painful that officials who should be up and doing are nonchalant about it. Some estates would have to be demolished to create a pathway for water and right now, I can say from our findings that not less than seven estates would have to be demolished to allow water to pass properly. It may not be all of its buildings but those on the waterways.
Are most of the buildings in Trademore Estate not on the waterway?
Let me also emphasise that Trademore is not on the waterway; we may be in the valley but not on the flood path. The water coming in is appropriately channelled out and there is no building on the waterway. It is flooding that is making it look like we are on the waterway. That is because there are no channels for the water passing through the area because of the kind of culvert built by the Ecological Project Office and the encroachment by other estates that cause the water to backflow into Trademore. That is the problem. Once all those estates are removed and the waterway is clear, there will be no incident of flooding.
Your association has obtained two court orders restraining the FCDA from demolishing buildings in Trademore Estate. Will that save the residents?
There is a subsisting court order since last year that granted us perpetual injection against the demolition of any house in this estate. The FCDA and development control are aware but they are ignoring the court order. We have also got a legal injunction. The case is still in court and the order has not been vacated. So, they have to obey the court order. I want to believe that they are going to obey it as they have not really shown any sign that they are not going to obey.
Was there an appeal?
No, they didn’t appeal the case and it still subsisting and that means there is no reason for them to be threatening demolition, otherwise they will be committing contempt of court.
Will the association agree to a political solution?
A political solution is always there but you need engineering solutions too. Politics is about people in power who are ready and convinced to solve this politically. That’s all we need; we don’t want to make political statements via the media but what is important is to let the engineers sit down and design a solution to this and then bring in the political will like the FCT senator is doing.
The FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola, has pronounced this area as a disaster zone. What is your reaction to that?
My reaction is based on the fact that the Permanent Secretary who made the declaration came to this estate and got to the gate when it started drizzling. He left with his 20 convoys and his next action was to declare the estate a disaster zone even without inspecting the estate.
Well, I think he has acted within the limit of his wisdom. We have asked what indices and factors led to the pronouncement. So, he doesn’t know what is happening in Trademore and the consequence of his pronouncement amounts to nothing as far as we are concerned. Now, we know when they say things like that, it generates funds for them because they will be given a lot of money to do certain things, but I tell you that this is not a disaster zone.
I wonder why the officials are refusing to carry out what they are supposed to do. This estate is not the first to be flooded. All adjoining estates were flooded equally and there is still flooding in certain areas. Are they also a disaster zone? Whatever they want to do with this land will never happen because we have procured, built on this place and they can’t take it from us. It doesn’t matter how hard they try. We know what their plans are and they will not be successful.
They have described this place as an illegal settlement but during the last elections, we had three polling units here. So, they can come to collect our votes and request payment for electricity bills but we are illegal.
Years ago, a section of this estate was inaugurated by former Vice-President Namadi Sambo. High-ranking officers are staying in this area and this is what the FCDA has declared a disaster zone because they are unapproved. Where were the Department of Development Control, FCTA and FCDA when all of these developments were taking place in an area they tagged illegal? Currently, 99 per cent of houses in this area are financed by a Federal Mortgage Bank which is owned by the Federal Government and the payments are ongoing. So, they financed an illegal settlement.
Was the estate also described as an illegal settlement?
The issue of illegality is something to laugh about; probably they should check the dictionary for the meaning of the word illegal. Now, how many houses are we talking about? We didn’t just jump into an area and started building. The first house was built without any issue and several years later, you say it is illegal. Is that not an indictment on the integrity of the authorities? To set the records straight, let the world know that Trademore is not an illegal settlement. This place was appropriately allocated and approved by the Abuja Municipal Area Council. The building plans were equally approved by AMAC because there was no FCDA at that time.
When the rules changed, they asked residents to come for re-certification but that instruction has not been carried out even after writing twice to the concerned authorities and up till today, nothing has been done. There are 74 estates in this axis and I can tell you that none of them has been re-certified but they have not issued demolition threats to the estates because they are owned by high and influential people.
In the original Abuja master plan, this area is called Zone Four and in that plan, they haven’t integrated this area yet. So, all these threats are just tales by moonlight. They just want to find every means to get this land away from the developer and subscribers but it is not going to happen. It doesn’t matter what they do, it’s not going to happen.
If it is going to take President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come here by himself, we will make sure that happens. At least he is humane and listens to the people. It has come to a point where if they want to fight us, we are ready to fight them. They should not undermine our resolve about this. We will also make sure that they do what they are expected and paid to do. We are calling for a public inquiry into their activities. Why are they not going to all the estates here?
The Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, recently said a meeting would be held on the issue. Is there any update on that?
Well, the meeting has not been held to the best of my knowledge. The meeting is supposed to include the representatives from the association and we have not received any notice. This meeting hasn’t been held because of the absence of the Permanent Secretary.
Have you received any form of support?
The United Nations has been here and they are very interested in what is going on; they have been supportive with their words and nothing financial. Again, several civil societies have expressed concern about the issue. As seen in the news lately, we will also like to express our deepest appreciation to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her kind heart and giving the most affected persons some palliatives. She gave N250,000 each to 57 residents and we really thank her for that.
