…Indigenes advised to stop selling land indiscriminately
By Muhammad Abdullahi
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello on Thursday appealed passionately to original inhabitants to stop selling their birth rights to non indigenes ,saying, when the chips are down the non indigenes will go back to their various country homes
While adding that, “It is not all the lands we give to you that you sell, you must remember that you have a growing families and must keep your heritage”
The minister made this appeal while meeting with chiefs of seven communities along Lugbe, Airport road to fashion out ways to resolve the imminent challenges emanating from sales of lands to non indigenes in the nation’s capital.
Speaking on behalf of the minister, his Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement , Comrade Ikharo Attah said, Bello has the interest of the indigenous people at heart and will not do anything to twart the peaceful co-existence of the people.
” The families of indigenous people are growing and we must look for ways to accommodate them. A layout is under way to cater exclusively for this purpose.
“I appeal to you not to sell them when you get them. This is what is applicable and after selling, you begin to cry foul. This is not acceptable.
“We are coming to demolish all non indigenous buildings in your communities, it will be massive, we are not touching yours because it is your anscetral home and since you have not been relocated we will not touch your buildings.
“The Minister has directed that we move in and remove all illegal structures within the nation’s capital. Non indigenes’ houses will be removed without any compensation”, he said.
He, however, advised that ,when government gives you allocation, please don’t sell, always remember your growing families and if you must sell tell them is farm lands so that when we demolish they will not fall back to you.
He said, “the minister instructed that we move in to right the structural wrongs in the communities.
He said they have already marked some of the illegal structures and those that have not been marked will be marked before the year runs to an end.
Malam Yusuf Mugajji, Aguma of Sauka one of the Chiefs who spoke with newsmen appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration that, if possible enforcement agencies should be left to secure the demolished community 24 hours after the exercise saying, after the demolition, hoodlums will take over and be looting the indigenous communities as soon as the task leaves.
He further added that FCTA should save them from estate developers who are carrying fake papers to claim lands.