Damilola Oyedele
7 May 2008
Abuja — The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration has admitted that the former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ahmadu Ali's house was demolished in error.
It said Ali's house was not on FCT's water line, as claimed by the former minister of the FCT, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, when he appeared before the Senate Committee on FCT and Housing probing the sale of Federal Government houses and other related matters last Thursday.
The FCT Minister, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, made the disclosure yesterday while conducting newsmen round the demolished plot 1613, Asokoro building, which was dug up by men of the FCT Water Board.
Modibbo said through his Special Assistant, Diran Onifade, that investigation revealed that it is a neighbouring plot, 3758, that is actually sitting on a water line and should have been demolished.
The administration of the FCT under the leadership of the former minister, el-Rufai, had demolished the building consisting of a block of four flats on the grounds that the plot located at 1613, Cadastral Zone A4 in Asokoro District was sitting on a 1200mm diameter rising main water trunk line.
"As a matter of fact, it is a neighbouring building that was standing on a water line and that building is still standing. It amounts to victimisation to pull his building down," Onifade stated.
The Director of the FCT Water Board, Mr. Jibrin Ibrahim, said the former authorities of the FCT Water Board used a wrong satellite imagery, which brought about the decision to demolish the property.
He said the FCT Department for Development Control was taking steps to correct such errors.
Ibrahim, who used a blown out satellite image of the plot, explained that the present administration was doing another evaluation to determine the appropriate compensation to be paid to Ali's family.
He, however, refused to say if the Argentine Embassy where the water line leads to would be demolish.
Ali, who was also at the site, described el-Rufai as a "chronic liar" whose motives were informed by hatred from the "powers that be" at the time.
He said el-Rufai must apologise to Nigerians, and alleged that el-Rufai had appropriated plots for himself, his family and his principal.
El-Rufai, while appearing the before the Senate Committee on the FCT last Thursday had said that Ali's house was demolished because it was sitting on a water line.
Modibbo had two weeks ago told the Committee that he had just found out that the house was demolished in error as it was not built on a sewer line.
He had presented a satellite map to the Committee to buttress his claim that Ali's house was built on a water line.
According to el-Rufai, "The current FCT minister made statements to the Committee on several issues which set the tone for the many petitions and presentations to the committee in the last three weeks of its sitting. I consider some of these statements gross misrepresentations and outright distortions of the policies and actions of the FCT during my tenure and it is important to set the records straight.
"While I welcome this hearing and any investigation of my administration, the issue of collusion, instigation or otherwise would be best left to the facts and Nigerians to judge. The media attacks sponsored by the FCTA clearly show otherwise.
"Contrary to the new claim by the FCT Minister that the demolition of the Senator's house was illegally done, I maintain that the Senator's house is indeed on water line. The Satellite Map (on the screen) clearly shows a distinct Water Line running under Plot 1163 and the demolition carried out was on that part of the property.
"Moreover, the remaining part of the property, which I left un-demolished, would still be affected by the Right of Way requirement of 20m distance from the Water Line. Again the facts speak for themselves on this issue." platform of the PDP.
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If Alis house was demolished in error, then all the owners of properties demolished since 1999 must receive compensation. Instead of working hard to move the FGN and FCT forward, both modibbo and Yaradua are busy critising past administration. I beleive they will do that for the next 4 years because they have no plans for Nigeria.