A human rights activist, Osita Obi, has lamented the demolition of his house by the officials of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, an Anambra State agency.
Obi told journalists in Awka on Saturday that the structure, a newly-constructed duplex was located in the Executive Business District area of Awka, near the abandoned Anambra State Government House.
He stated that he legally acquired the land and also got approvals from the Awka Capital Territory Development Agency before he commenced building the house, which he said had been completed with the intention to move in, this December.
Obi said the house was built with his wife’s pension, who just retired from one of the Federal Government agencies after 35 years of service.
He added that the structure was demolished two weeks ago by the agency.
He said, “The plots of land were allocated by the Anambra State House members under the former administration of Peter Obi and I bought mine from Hon. Vivian Okadigbo who was a member, Anambra State House Assembly.
“Even the present Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, the same man who is supervising the demolition, benefited from the allocations, though he sold out his portion to one Nnamdi Okafor.
“I have my documents including the approved plans by the ACTDA, a government agency permitting me to build my house. My wife’s pension money was used to build the house that and it was demolished without any official communication.”
He said since the unfortunate demolition, his wife had been hospitalised due to the shock because her 35 years pension in civil service was invested in the structure.
“I learnt the state government said they would pay us compensation, but do they want to kill my wife first so that I will use the money they will pay me to bury her?” he queried.
He lamented that the authorities never gave him a notice of intention to demolish the house, noting that if they had, he would have taken some needed items away.
According to him, after the demolition, they carted away his water tanks and other household items to themselves.
“My pain is not that the house was demolished, after all, the government once told us that the area had been re-acquired by it and that the houses built there would be demolished. But my pain is that when they wanted to demolish it, they didn’t even notify us so that we can remove some useful items in the house.”
Meanwhile, the officials of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, in their reaction, said they demolished and recovered illegally acquired lands and properties within the new Government House, Awka.
The ACTDA Head of Development Control, Mr Charles Ekwunife, said the agency had issued more than five warnings to the developers to stop work but they did not listen.
Ekwunife stated that the area where they erected the structures was the land meant for the new Government House.
He warned developers within the capital territory to always visit the agency’s office in Awka to ascertain the authenticity of the land or property they would want to develop before embarking on them to avoid regrets.
Credit: Punch