As part of its precautionary measures to mitigate building collapse mishaps, the Development Control Department of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) has upped plans to demolish an abandoned uncompleted one storey building located within Nile Street, in the Maitama District of the nation’s capital city, for purportedly failing integrity test.
Director, Development Control Department, Murktar Galadima, on Tuesday conducted top management team on inspection and enforcement exercise around the Federal Capital, and explained that there is no remedial measure that can be taken by anyone to safeguard the abandoned building.
He explained that the department had engaged a consultant that carried out the integrity test on the building, which revealed that it failed integrity test, thereby posing serious mortal dangers to people living and doing business within the premises.
He called on all property developers in the FCT to always comply and conform to the provisions of development plans adding that any developer that violates approved building plans would be sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to others.
His words: “This is an abandoned structure within the Maitama district; it has been abandoned for a long time.
Unfortunately, people are living inside the building.
We have conducted integrity test, which the building failed.
So, we are here to warn whoever that is staying here to vacate the place, to enable us do the needful-which is pull down the structure.
“We engaged a consultant that carried out the integrity test on the building, and now we are communicating to the owner of the building that the structure having failed integrity test, we are removing it.” On whether there have been enough engagement and necessary notification about the planned removal of the building, he said: “We have done that, because after marking the structure, we even informed them verbally about the development and measures to avert looming disaster.
“We have told the people living or doing business inside and within the premises to immediately vacate the site, and failure to do so, they would be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
“From the visual sighting, you can see that this building cannot stand the test of time.
There is no remedial measure that one can take to safeguard the structure.
So, within a week’s time we will remove the structure.”