Abia State Government has embarked on the demolition of illegal structures in Aba, stating that the move is part of measures aimed at restoring the city’s master plan.
The demolition which was carried out through a joint effort of the Osisioma Ngwa, Obingwa, Aba North, Aba South and Ugwunagbo Local Government Areas Town Planning Authorities, saw the pulling down of illegal structures and sealing of unapproved ones within Aba, the commercial hub of Abia.
The exercise began from Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area with the sealing of a petrol filling station at Umuojima Junction, along the Aba-Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway. The owner of the station was said not to obtain a valid permit before its construction.
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At Udeagbala Road also in Osisioma, over 26 lock-up stores built on the fence of Saint Silas Anglican Church, Ayaba-Umueze were sealed by the authorities because they were built under the electricity high-tension wire.
Equally on Udeagbala Road, two Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants built on a gas pipeline was demolished as the owner was said to have defied several warnings from the town planners.
A secondary school, Okpu-Umuobo Comprehensive Secondary School being built by the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) with a mini-stadium in Osisioma was sealed for not getting approval of the town Planning Authority.
In Aba North, several buildings were sealed for not getting approval from the authorities.
Speaking to journalists on behalf of his colleagues, the Executive Secretary, Osisioma Town Planning Authority, Chigoziri Ahaiwe said, “We’ve gone to various sites and none of them has a planning permit.
“The authorities never permitted those sites. Some were constructed under the high-tension lines, there are some of them we demolished that were constructed on a gas pipeline.
“If we all desire good city, we must jointly sanitise it. We appeal to our people to always come to authorities to get approval before putting their money to construct what is not permitted in certain areas.
“There are areas we can’t allow any body to site a petrol filling station. We’re not saying you should not build anything there, but we have different things we approve for certain areas.