The popular Area 1 Shopping Complex will from next Monday wear a new look as all attached shops and other illegal structures and wrong parking of cars will be cleared by the FCT Administration (FCTA).
The development was arrived at by the authorities of the Departments of Development Control, Security Service, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the Abuja Investments Company Ltd (AICL) in a meeting with the traders in the complex.
The Director of Development of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, who disclosed this on Friday evening after the meeting which held at the at the Diplomats’ Park behind the mall, said officials from the FCTA decided to meet with the managers of the market to reach an understanding before carrying out the cleaning exercise.
He noted that, “The way the market is very congested and unhygienic is not good for the safety and health of the traders and customers.”
He explained that all the kilishi and suya sellers would be located under one roof, parking spaces inside the market would be removed and that they should have one source of energy instead of littering the market with generating sets and causing air and noise pollution.
He further said, “God forbid, but imagine if there is a fire outbreak in this market, it will be disastrous, and rescue operations impossible. As a government, we do not have to wait for that to happen before we take action.
“Remember, we were here last year to do some clean up, but this time, it is different. We are going to remove all the attachments and create space inside the market for parking.
“We are not happy with the traffic situation caused by the activities in this market. So, we will sanitise it in line with the vision of the Nyesom Wike-led FCTA in sanitising the FCT.”
Speaking on behalf of the traders, Umar Uba thanked the FCTA for the meeting, promising that they would assist the authorities in sanitising the market since it was for their good and the good of their customers.
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