Stop granting dev permits along border corridors – NBC
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said it will collaborate with the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to recover all its boundary lands that have been encroached upon and protect them against future intrusion.
FCT Minister Muhammad Musa Bello made this promise in Abuja on Tuesday, when staff of the commission, led by their Director-General, Dr Muhammad Ahmad paid the minister a visit.
Viewpoint Housing News quoted the minister as saying FCTA will ensure that the boundary areas around the territory are demarcated with concrete pillars such that they are very visible.
The minister indicated that structures that are already sitting on the boundary areas will be removed and compensation paid to deserving developers.
According to the minister, “All areas that are built up on the borders will have to move.
“With dialogue, we can make arrangement for compensations. The border has to be demarcated and it has to be something those that are not experts can see right through.
“There should be a buffer zone that differentiates the area. We need to do what the law says.”
He said high population has led to fast growth of the territory and this has necessitated taking of steps to stop further encroachments.
Bello decried that FCTA had in the past unwittingly sited projects in parts of Kogi State around the Abaji boundary area, which is not part of the Abuja land mass.
He identified the Karshi-Ara road constructed by FCTA that extends into Nasarawa State as well as parts of the FCT that are already built up that were thought to be Niger State as examples.
Bello commended the relationship between FCTA and NBC, saying it has enabled the administration to have a clearer picture of its boundaries.
He said the FCT Boundary Committee has been repositioned with the Permanent Secretary as its chairman, the Director of Survey and Mapping as secretary and eminent personalities as members.
Earlier in his remark, the Director General of NBC said a joint meeting had been scheduled to review the status of the boundary and agree on a new roadmap that will address the challenges of encroachment and counter encroachment.
He advised FCTA and Nasarawa State Government to stop granting development permits along the border corridors, pending the conclusion of work.
He charged FCTA to undertake a comprehensive census of all the developments on the boundary line along the FCT/Nasarawa area in particular for proper records to make the boundary of the FCT and its neighbours more visible on the ground.
He said the affected border communities of FCT and its neighbouring states should be encouraged to come together and discuss issues of cross broader cooperation to douse tensions and downplay the politics that usually result in boundary disputes.
Ahmad suggested that a special fund for the building of primary pillars in the boundary areas of FCT should be sourced.
