– Reveals How Felicia Bassey’s House Built On Waterway Was Ignored After Being Marked
The recent demolition of illegal structures in Uyo, by agents of Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) has elicited various reactions and concerns from various quarters in the State.
The latest concern is coming from a foremost Civil Society Group in the State, Ibom Justice for All (IJA), which came out during the week to criticise UCCDA over what it described as selective enforcement of government order.
Speaking in an interview with the Guide Newspaper, the Secretary of IJA, Barr. Ikponke Asuquo slammed the leadership of Uyo Capital City Development Authority for failing to carry out her duty without fear or favour.
The civil society group accused Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) of deliberately ignoring certain illegal structures in Uyo Capital City that earlier marked, for fear of offending some top politicians in the State who ignored environment safety standards to construct such buildings on the waterway.
The group cited a two-storey building belonging to a former Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Felicia Bassey, built on a major waterway on Oron Road as one of the illegal structures which the agents of government in UCCDA could not enforce demolition for belonging to a top political figure in the State.
The Guide Newspaper reports that the illegal structure, a two-storey building belonging to the former Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mrs Felicia Bassey, located in Oron Road, by Edet Akpan/Nsikak Eduok traffic light, is built on a major waterway and above a drainage system constructed during Obong Victor Attah administration in the State.
Speaking on why the leadership of Uyo Capital City Development Authority has not demolished the building despite earlier marking it for demolition, a source working as a staff in UCCDA while confiding in the Guide Newspaper, revealed that the building which was earlier marked for demolition by UCCDA, could not be demolished when it was discovered that the building belongs to a top political figure in the State.
The Ibom Justice for All wondered what could stop an agency of government from demolishing a building constructed on a major drainage system with obvious neglect of environmental impact assessment by the owner, posing environment hazards to residents of the area.
Findings carried out by the Guide Newspaper around the environment during the week revealed that the site engineers had destroyed the water channel and filled up the drainage while constructing the building, diverting the waterway to Ewet Housing Estate, May Flower and Methodist Church and Methodist Primary School Oron Road Uyo.
The Guide Newspaper reports there is an ongoing drainage construction within the environment supposedly carried out by the Ministry of Environment in Akwa Ibom State in a bid to ease the flow of water drainage system in the area.
