Abuja - August 25 - (Viewpoint Housing News) – The Managing Director of Planet Next Intermedium Limited, Dr. Okoruwa Anthony Ehikioya has backed the new Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Nyesom Wike on his intent to regalvanise the city of Abuja and believes the former governor of Rivers state understands the specific kind of sanitization he wants to imprint in Nigeria’s capital city.
Okorowa whose company is the owner of New Planet Homes, and Excellent Court, was however not entirely in support of an outright demolition of buildings not in line with the legal standing of carrying out construction.
“People are only trying to capture what he said in the area of demolition, which for me was a passing remark, Dr. Okorowa said, while speaking with Viewpoint Housing News.
“He was a bit specific on the kind of ‘sanitization’ to put in place because, he specifically mentioned some places like some unoccupied houses in Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse and other areas”.
Although, Dr. Okorowa did not agree with an entire demolition as it were, because of huge amount of fund that has gone into some buildings. He suggested means of conversion of structures that are not properly placed or adjustments could be made to accommodate some of the buildings.
“The problem we have in this country is, there are no consequences when we do wrong. When we begin to apply consequences to every action, we will have a better country to live in”, Dr. Okorowa, the current Secretary of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), FCT chapter, said.
An area in Mr. Wike’s press briefing that got Dr. Okorowa impressed was the actions to be taken against vandalizers of governement properties in the FCT that include removal of roadside covers, removal of rails from bridges, even street light , saying he never knew Wike was aware of it. “These are painful actions carried out by people”, he said.
As a sociologist by training, he said Mr. Wike lacked conviction in his capacity to address the open grazing in the city of Abuja, urging him to take the bull by the horn as it is an eye sore when you drive round Abuja and wait for cows to pass.
“There are no grazing places in the city, you can only see them in areas like the forests or reserved areas. You don’t find farms in the city room, you find farms in the bushes.
“So, let them all go to the bushes and he should be courageous to do that. I believe a lot of persons will appreciate him if he does this”, he concluded.
