The minister, who spoke during an unscheduled visit to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) Dump Site in Gosa, Sewer Treatment Plant, Wupa and the proposed Waste Transfer Station at Mpape over the weekend insisted that such lands would be put for their original uses in line with the Abuja Master Plan.
“Any government property or government land encroached in Abuja will be taken back and given to the government and that is the easiest of our jobs because it’s government that gives people land.
“If somebody encroaches on government land, it’s very easy for government to take back its land because nobody can take government’s land and get away with it.”
FCT, The minister said that all the departments of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board would be strengthened to ensure that liquid and solid wastes are well managed and disposed off.
According to him, the strengthening will involve some massive staff changes so that the Board would be geared towards doing what needs to be done, adding: “it will also include the rehabilitation of existing facilities and as a matter of fact, even creation of new ones because the city is growing at a very fast pace and it is obvious that our facilities for cleaning the city have lagged very much behind.”
He said that the small office block at the proposed Waste Transfer Station is obviously not enough to serve as a sorting centre for the entire city, stressing: “this facility here can however take care of waste management in the Maitama District since its closer to the place.” [myad]
