In violation of the order by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal Ministry of Housing, officials of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) have recommenced the allocation of car parks and open spaces earmarked for public conveniences in their estates. Most affected are the Cornershops within their estates where parking spaces, access roads and setbacks are being allocated for development by individuals.

Last Tuesday, some of the legal shop owners whose buildings and access roads are most impacted by the illegal developments, petitioned the Executive Director (Estate Services), Arch. Ezekiel Nya-Etok over the matter. They demanded a halt to such private developments, and the indiscriminate allocations of setbacks and open spaces meant for public convenience within the Sector ‘F’ Corner shops.

In 2023 when the controversial allocations first started at the Cornershops of the FHA Estate in Lugbe, a violent confrontation had ensued when owners of Corner shops at Sector ‘F’ resisted attempts to build new shops on the setbacks from the adjourning road which would block entrance to existing shops.

The indiscriminate building of new shops on setbacks between existing buildings and the roads were allegedly approved by officials of the Federal Housing Authority which owns the estate, in clear violation of their own masterplan.

One of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Amos Adebayo, who said he was allocated one of the setbacks for his private office, was prevented from building the office. The adjourning shop owners had alerted the Lugbe police station when the matter nearly resulted into violent confrontation between Adebayo’s workers and staff of Fingerprint Communications Limited which operates the DSTV franchise in Lugbe. They insisted that the space was the only setback between their office, which was once occupied by Happy Note Microfinance Bank, and the access road.

The Police officer, Inspector Samuel Olusola, who arrived at the site to forestall any violence, eventually took Mr. Adebayo and his construction workers to the Lugbe police station. The DPO, Supt. Ugochukwu later ordered Mr. Adebayo to stay action while all the parties seek further clarification from the Federal Housing Authority.

A copy of the building approval in Mr. Adebayo’s possesion was signed by one Ms. Queen Phillips, a staff of the FHA field office in Lugbe. Our enquiries at the office however revealed that Ms. Phillips who purportedly signed the document has since been redeployed to the FHA office in Gwarinpa. It is not clear whether her deployment had to do with such controversial allocations.

Head of the Town Planning department at the Federal Housing Authority, Surveyor Eyong had denied knowledge of such allocation. He however met some of the allottees and shop-owners mostly impacted by the illegal allocations, and thereafter halted any further developments. 

Last week, following the retirement of Surveyor Eyong, Mr. Adebayo and other allotees returned to site, prompting another round of heated exchanges at the Cornershops.

Investigations reveal that the controversial allocations commenced shortly before the Housing and Urban Development Minister, Alhaji Musa Dangiwa, assumed duty. 

Many of the shop owners at the Lugbe Cornershops who spoke to reporters on the matter, lamented that many of the Cornershops in Lugbe have been turned into residential homes allegedly with the connivance of FHA field office in Lugbe. The FCT Minister who has frowned at such indiscriminate constructions, insists that such buildings which have turned Lugbe and other settlements into big slums and hide-outs for hoodlums, will be demolished.