THE owner of a demolished building in Awka, the Anambra State capital, Osita Obi, has said that government officials who ordered the demolition of his house did not give him notice to vacate.
Obi lamented the loss of some valuable items that could have been saved if he was, at least, informed of the demolition plan by officials of the state.
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The Anambra State government had pulled down the newly constructed duplex located in the Executive Business District area of Awka last Wednesday, December 7.
An official of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Charles Ekwunife, said the building was demolished because it was “illegally acquired”.
But speaking with journalists at the weekend, Obi said he was issued a building approval by the appropriate authority in the state.
He also insisted that his wife acquired the land legally.
“That house was built by my wife, even one kobo of mine did not go into it. My wife is a retiree from a federal government agency. She used her life savings and retirement benefits to buy the land and also construct the building. The land was very legally acquired, and even my building plan was approved by government.
“My pain is that when they wanted to demolish it, they didn’t as little as notify us so that we can remove some useful items in the house. My wife has been crying ceaselessly,” he said.
Obi, who hinted journalists of a possible compensation by the government, lamented that the demolition had already taken a toll on him and his wife.
“Now they are telling me they will pay compensation. Do they want to kill my wife so that I will use the money they will pay me to bury her?” he asked rhetorically.
Ekwunife, who heads the Development Control unit of the ACTDA, said the agency had issued more than five warnings to the developers to stop work but they did not comply.
Ekwunife added that the land on which the house was erected was meant for the construction of the new Government House.
Sinafi Omanga works as a multimedia and investigative reporter at the International Centre for Investigative Reporting - ICIR. He has a keen interest in accountability, health and environmental issues.
Twitter handle:
@OmangaSinafi
Email:
somanga@icirnigeria.org