FCTA pulls down 30-yr-old UTC shopping complex

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), in the early hours of yesterday, pulled down the over 30-year-old popular UTC complex at Garki,  Area 10 in Abuja.

The administration had earlier said the old complex needed to be demolished to give way for the rebuilding of the place.

The FCTA said the structure was overdue for restructuring to fit into a shopping complex model required to grow small and medium enterprises to address global business needs and challenges.

A deputy director, monitoring and inspection in the Department of Development Control, Hassan Ogbole, said the structures were defective and there was the need to upgrade them to the level that would meet global business standards.

Ogbole noted that provision had been made for the traders and other occupants of the complex to enable reconstruction of the place.

He also said enough notices were given to the occupants of the place to enable them move out and allow the construction to start, but many of them refused.

“The place is in a state of disrepair and no longer habitable for business activities. The place has to give way for new development,” he said.

Also speaking, the secretary, Command and Control, FCTA Department of Security, Peter Olumiji, said demolishing the complex was also needed to curtain the security challenges in the area.

Olumiji noted that apart from restructuring the place to meet global standards, there was the need to curtail the criminal activities prevalent in the place.

One of the traders in the complex, Samuel Onuchukwu, said they were worried because the temporary site provided for them was not secure for business. He said they woke up early in the morning on Saturday to learn that the whole of UTC area had been barricaded and demolishing going on, with people’s personal goods still entrapped.