The family of the late Col. Paul Ogbebor has raised an alarm over threats by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to demolish their 42-year-old estate in Abuja, valued at N3.5 billion.
Vincent Enoghase, the estate’s General Manager, raised the alarm at a press conference in Abuja, saying the FCDA has issued a demolition notice which purports that the estate’s buildings are dilapidated and uninhabitable.
But Enoghase roundly rubbished the allegations, explaining that the family has been diligently working to secure the Certificate of Occupancy and Right of Occupancy with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration.
The estate manager disclosed that the family has paid ₦10 million of the required ₦42 million to finalise the process, restating the commitment the Family’s commitment to comply.
But the worrisome aspect of the whole saga is that, according to Enoghase, the estate has been secretly reallocated to another company, hence the FCDA’s refusal to grant the necessary documentation to the family.
The estate management insisted that there is more to the FCDA’s threat than meet the eye. They dismissed the suggestion that the buildings in the estate are not viable and are dilapidated. The buildings, the estate management maintained, are solid, healthy and well maintained. More importantly, they have not breached any laws that would warrant a demolition or reallocation of the property.
Another nagging headache facing the estate management, according to Enoghase, is that despite a subsisting court order halting the demolition, the FCDA has reportedly issued another letter demanding that the family vacate the estate within 24 hours.
“Now the FCT Development Control is telling us to quit and that they want to pull down the structure,” he continued. “They sent us the papers last week.
“We quickly went to court and we got an order restraining them from doing anything. This morning the FCT Development Control sent another letter, giving us 24 hours to vacate the place for demolition.
“We believe that somebody somewhere is doing funny things to take over the place. Another story we are getting again is that they have allocated that place to somebody else. They have given the person Certificate of Occupancy and Right of Occupancy within two to three weeks.”
Son of the late Colonel Ogbebor, Ikponmwosa Paul Ogbebor, said the family was deeply troubled and very frustrated by the unsavoury development, describing the worrisome episode as a betrayal of his father’s legacy.
Ikponmwosa appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to intervene in the matter, stressing that the family had occupied the property long before the development of other prominent areas in Abuja, such as Transcorp Hilton and Maitama.
“My late father (Ogbebor) is part and parcel of the creation of Abuja,” he said. “We have had tenants living in that property for over 30 years and 80% are expatriates. They call it home.”
