…As govt demolishes structures
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
•Demolition along Katsina-Ala Street
GSM dealers and other shop owners are counting their losses following the demolition of their structures in and around Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
•Samuel and two of his friends after the demolition
Victims of the exercise, who spoke to Daily Sun in Makurdi, were devastated and heart broken while some were in tears after the demolition.
Their containers and other makeshift shops were broken during the demolition carried out by the state urban development board. While some were lucky to move their goods, others said they incurred huge loses following the exercise.
•Gov. Alia
On May 2, the Benue State government commenced the demolition of shanties and other illegal structures across Makurdi town in its move to recover the original master plan of the city
The General Manager, Benue State Urban Development Board, Engr Elias Mede, led the bulldozers in company of officials of the board as well as some security agents during the demolition of structures along Gboko road, George Akume way, Vandeikya street and several containers on Katsina-Ala streets belonging to GSM dealers.
By the time the exercise was over, more than 40 traders had lost their shops in what was learnt was the first phase of the exercise. It was also learnt that about 80 youths, who were sales assistants or apprentices, lost their jobs as a result of the exercise.
Some of the traders, including Mr and Mrs Chideraa, Mrs Jairus Abi and Samuel Asemakaha, among others said they lost goods as well as cash running into millions of naira due to the demolition. Although the traders said they were informed and asked to move their wares, they expected the government to give them some consideration as they were still discussing with the board to hold on with the exercise and provide them with an alternative place to stay and do their business conveniently.
A couple, Mr and Mrs Jude Chideraa, explained that their two shops were destroyed at Ndupet Plaza on Katsina-Ala street, Markurdi.
The couple, who sell phone accessories, explained that even though their containers were not on the road but the board demolished them right inside the plaza premises. They lamented that the exercise has caused the whole family to lose their means of livelihood while their employees have been thrown onto the streets.
Mr Chideraa, who is the secretary, Ndupet Plaza caretaker committee, told our correspondent: “For some time, we have been meeting and working with Benue State Urban Development Board. They told us they have a directive to clear all the containers in town.
“We pleaded with them to give us some time but they said we should make it official. So we wrote them a letter to hold on with their plan and give us a permanent place where we can relocate to do our business because demolishing the containers here will affect so many people.
“Most of us, the youths, are feeding from here and removing the containers will affect us mentally and financially. They told us they have heard us. Then last year, 2023, urban development board wrote us again saying they are not the government that will provide a permanent place for us that there job is to protect government property.
“They told us that they were giving us till the end of April to remove our things. By Tuesday morning, we heard some news that they were going to come and we started parking and by April 2, they came and destroyed everything.
“The demolition affected my two containers. I sell phone accessories where I stay and where my wife was staying have gone. We don’t have a place now.
“We are pleading with government to help us with a permanent place. Even if it’s an empty land, we will develop it. The damages they caused to me alone is unbearable. I can’t even quantify it now because it’s huge.
“We need government to compensate us and give us a permanent place; we will go there,. Nobody wants to stay in the container. If you want to relocate a particular business people, give them a place to go to.
“We are not challenging government but as a government that has the interest of the people at heart and wants to move them forward, you can show them where to move to.
“It’s not good to throw your citizens out to loiter on the streets. So, we are appealing to the government to look into what they have done and see how they can compensate us.”
He disclosed that over 40 youths who are shop owners have been thrown into the streets around Ndupet Plaza unit on Katsina Ala street alone, saying if nothing is done and quickly too, they might not be able to fend for themselves and their families.
Another phone dealer who refused to give his name fumed about their predicament. He said even though they were given notice but they had told them in the past that they are only removing structures that were blocking the road view.
“For this demolition, they only gave us notice to park. They never told us the day they are coming, only for us to see bulldozers on Thursday,” he said.
He said that they came suddenly and he was not able to pack all his things. “I can’t quantify the loss right now. They came suddenly and there is no way you can park all your things between three and five minutes. Most of my wares, including screen guards and chargers, cannot be found,” he said.
He appealed to the Benue State government to relocate them to a new place saying: “We can’t fold our arms and wait for food. We are business people, so the government should give us a place.”
Mrs Ifeoma Chideraa, who also lamented her loss, said the authorities had told them to remove all the shops that were by the road side.
She said: “My shop and my husband’s shop were affected even though they were not by the road side. They were inside. We were surprised that they entered inside our shops. Right now, we don’t have any shop.
“We were still removing our things when the bulldozers came and in the process, we had some losses. Our show glasses, cupboard, table and chairs and the two shops were destroyed while some of the goods were stolen as people were running helter skelter, trying to help.
“They had promised us a computer village but before they could fulfill their promise, they came and demolished our shops. Those of us who had containers also have sales girls and boys working for us. We took them off the streets but now, all of them would be jobless.
“Demolishing the shops have affected both employers and employees. This is not right. They would have thought about this and given us an alternative place before embarking on the exercise.”
A sales representative, who spoke on behalf of his master, Hon Jerry Abi, said they lost millions of naira.
He lamented: “Most of these businesses are running on loans and people are counting loses in millions of naira. We access a lot of credit coupled with the exchange rate, low market patronage, high cost of living and high transportation are all impacting on businesses badly.Yet they came and demolished the shops, destroying our things in split seconds.
“We appeal to the federal, state and well meaning Nigerians to come to our aid. It took us several years to make these investment, since 2004. They should help us. We cannot quantify the loss.
“One phone now is going for between N150,000 and N200,000. Some people’s phones, power banks, laptops and other valuable were stolen by the crowd who took advantage of the confusion.
“We have been appealing to successive governments to build a computer village in Makurdi but that has not happened. So it is shocking to us that the destroyed people’s property, chase them away without showing them where to go. It’s a sad development.”
He said as small as the containers were, the Ndupet plaza union have contributed to the economic development of the state.
Mrs Abi Jairus, who was on ground at the time of visit, said the bulldozers destroyed some of their wares, including phones, laptops and accessories. Pointing at a few phones in the show glass, she said these were the few things they could pick.
When our correspondent visited some victims along George Akume way, Samuel Asemakaha and his neighbours were seen salvaging what was left of their items.
Asemakaha, an aluminum fabricator, lamented that he was not notified that the demolition was taking place that Thursday.
He said: “I had gone out to get some materials for work and before I returned to the shop, the bulldozers had done their worse. They cleared everything.
“Inside the shop, I have people’s work that I had done and was yet to deliver. I had glass windows that I had made. Everything was destroyed. I lost over N500,000. These are people’s money. I don’t even know how to explain it to them and I don’t know where to get money to pay for materials I took on credit. I don’t know what to do.”
In November 2023, the board demolished over 28 illegal structures, including 10 structures built on access road, two containers on Katsina-Ala street, also called GSM village, two containers on Otukpo road as well as 14 shanties on Radio Benue way.
But the GM Benue State Urban Development Board, Silas Mede, said the exercise became necessary as the shanties and illegal structures were springing up the more defacing the beauty of the city and altering the original plan.
He also noted that most of the shanties served as hideouts for criminal elements in the state and noted that they could not allow that to continue.
Mede said: “The exercise came as a result of shanties we have in some parts of Benue State. Gov. Hyacinth Alia said we should revitalize 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 shanties 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.
“If you go to North Bank area around the Catholic church, you will see containers lying on the fence and it has reduced the road side and defaced the environment.
“The metropolis cannot remain like this. The city has to be kept clean because the level of illegal structures in town is not doing the state any good more. Some serve as hideout for criminal elements.”
While he noted that the governor is worried about the situation, Mede vowed that no shanties will be left out in its quest to beautify the city and take it back to what it was.
He also noted that enough notices were served on the affected people because “we don’t remove or demolish any property without giving notification. This time around, we involved the media.
“We did radio announcement for two weeks informing the public about this and told the owners of those shanties to remove them. Therefore, the notice has been there for months before we embarked on the exercise.
“We have about 800 houses built on waterways and have been earmarked for demolition. Just recently we visited a community around the naval road in Kashio layout and all the buildings that were located around the waterways and drainages were touched and we opened channel for water.”
On the call for the construction of a GSM village, Mede said he has discussed with the governor on how they can build a GSM village for the mobile phone dealers. He said: “I believe after this exercise I will go back to the governor and see how we can commence the building of the village. We have identified the spot and I have told him and he accepted.”