Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed has disclosed the FCT administration’s intention to demolish 31 more alleged illegal estates.

The minister made this known to the Senate Committee on FCT during the budget defence of his ministry yesterday.

According to Senator Bala Mohammed, the ministry has all the legal backing to demolish the estates to further discourage the impunity of estate developers in the city.

Within the last two months FCTA had demolished over 500 housing units, with resultant mass protests from both the developers and the occupiers, some of whom have paid heavily for the houses.

On Mpape, the minister said there is no going back on its demolition and relocation of the quarries as he said unless this is done, the National Assembly would remain unsafe.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi, however, cautioned on the negative effect the demolition of the estates would generate if alternative or palliative measures are not put on ground first.

According to Senator Adeyemi, the demolitions may as well expose the FCT to further security threat.

Adeyemi querried the minister on why the Development Control Unit did not stop the construction of the buildings until they had gotten to roofing level.

He sought alternative arrangements for the victims of the demolition exercise.

“On the estate that was demolished along the airport, we discovered that some civil servants contributed to the construction of these buildings. It is not their making that those buildings were demolished. They were made to believe that the developer was handling the bank documents for the construction. Because while the building was on, your staff left them and they almost got to roofing level. Now if you demolish the remaining 31 estates how do you accommodate the poor people who would have lost everything.” Senator Adeyemi asked

The FCT minister in response blamed the current situation on gullible nature of Nigerians to estate developers

His words: “Two wrongs do not make a right. We cannot allow a situation or exercise of impunity or lawlessness. We are not going to condone this for any reason. You are putting a lot of sentiments as a politician. I am a civil servant, I work according to the law. These people have been told not to do it. Nigerians are gullible.

“Coming back to the 31 estates, Nigerians are gullible. Unfortunately, when the FCT development programme was put in place, there was no guideline. We were supposed to have a timeline for delivery. For infrastructure and prototype, for people to know that this is what we are going to get within certain periods.”

“We have the responsibility to enforce the master plan. The FCDA has a law and the Abuja master plan is not compromising.”

Bala, however, assured that “to ensure, affordable housing we are coming with American investors as well as our own Abuja property development company. We are going to build 1000 hectares  so that we will bring housing for Nigerians who cannot afford them in high brow areas. We want to build structural and affordable houses. Those whose buildings will be demolished we will make sure of alternatives for them.”

From the minister’s presentation, FCT ministry has the total budget of N50 billion for the 2013 fiscal year, an increase of N4billion on the 2012 budget

The breakdown shows that N2billion has been earmarked to complete the Vice President’s residence at Aso Drive while the designing and construction of the presiding officers’ quarters in National Assembly will gulp N300million.

N5.6billion was budgeted for water facilities and N500million for procurement in 2013 budget.

According to the minister the 2012 budget performance of the ministry is about 99 percent, adding that total payment made up-till-date is about N31.7 billion while the balance of N496 million is under process.