Dev’t Control seal off 4-Storey building over landuse contravention

By Stanley Onyekwere

For allegedly deviating from approved original building plan approval Director of the FCT Development Control Department, Muktar Galadima has ordered immediate seal off of the entire site of a 4-storey commercial complex on Adetokumbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2 District.

The property located at plot number 965, Cadastral Zone A07 of Wuse, purportedly belonging to one George Ochekwu Ajonte was discovered to have abandoned its original approval for residential apartments and embarked on building a commercial complex without recourse to the authorities.

It was gathered these findings were made during inspection tour by officials of the Department, who expressed shock that the construction site was filled with unregistered builders, supervising the infractions.

Galadima revealed that the building approval granted was specifically for a residential block of flats, but the developers illegally modified the plan, converting it to a commercial complex.

He explained that efforts had been made in the past to stop the illegal development, but the developers disobeyed all the stop work notices and went ahead with the illegalities.

According to him, the builders supervising the project would be reported to their professional bodies, while the site remained sealed until the right thing was done.

He said: “From what we have discovered, they want to add a sit-out floor, which will mean an additional load. That is why we are taking this action, because when something happens, it is the authority that will be blamed.”

Explaining further, Deputy Director of the Department, Hauwa Tundunwada noted that the additional floor the developers were illegally constructing on top of the building was never part of the original plan, just like other infractions.

She added that the exercise would be carried out at other project sites to checkmate other illegal developments and ensure perpetrators are sanctioned accordingly.

Meanwhile, Ganiu Ademola, one of the supervisors, who claimed to be a graduate architect on the site, acknowledged that there had been a distortion from the original plan, but said the developers have the intention to seek variation approval from relevant agencies.