From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Benue State government has commenced the demolition of shanties and other illegal structures in its move to recover the original master plans of Makurdi, the state capital.
The General Manager, Benue State Urban Development Board, Elias Mede, who led officials of the board in company of some security agents to destroy the shanties during the exercise which commenced, Thursday, said the illegal structures were not only defacing the beauty of the city, but has also altered the original plan of the town.
He further noted that most of the shanties have also served as hideouts for criminal elements in the state.
Mede, who noted that over 800 illegal structures are sitting on waterways alone, said over 40 had been demolished in the first phase, noting that more would be demolished as the exercise continues.
Speaking to newsmen during the exercise, the General Manager said: “Governor Hyacinth Alia said we should revitalise the city and by the mandate given to us, we thought this is what we should do to bring the city to what it should be.
“In this first phase, we have removed over 40 shanty developments around town and we were able to open roads that were blocked by developers.
“This assignment will continue in places where developers are blocking access roads and would cover the entire Makurdi city. We intend to open the roads, major access routes. We just started with the South bank of Makurdi and very soon we will move to North bank area of Makurdi.”