FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DEMOLISHES AFRICAN INDEPENDENT TELEVISION ‘BUILDING’ IN ABUJA

The structure was brought down by bulldozers on Tuesday, while the Metropolitan Council further explained that, the purpose of the demolition ”was not to upset the Management of DAAR Communications but to remove a portion of a fence around the television station;s premises that legally belongs to other citizens of the country”.

Penpushing further reports that Shuaibu explained that  the demolition came after the Council failed to reach an amicable agreement with  the owner and founder of the 12 year old television station, Raymond Dokpesi.

The Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council said the management of the station failed to “voluntarily remove the illegal fence and other structures”,stating that the founder visited the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) in November 2018 to resolve the dispute regarding the actual size of land legally allocated to COMPANY “as against the area covered by their perimeter fence after which both parties at the end reached an agreement”.

“The (was an) illegal encroachment into plots of lands belonging to many Nigerians and the refusal by the Management of DAAR Communications to abide by the agreement reached between it and the FCT Administration’

‘Officials from the Department of Development Control of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council led by the Director, today removed a portion of the fence around the premises of the Africa Independent Television (AIT) in the Asokoro District of Abuja’, he said.

“It is important to let the public know that this removal was not intended to inflict any pain on the owners of the property but rather to enable other citizens to have access to their legitimate properties. It is also a culmination of a series of meetings between the Management of DAAR Communications, owners of AIT, and the Federal Capital Territory administration to end many years of misunderstanding’.

“Specifically, in November last year, the Management of DAAR Communications led by High Chief Raymond Dokpesi paid a courtesy visit to the FCT Minister and they were received on his behalf by Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Bashir Mai-Borno, who led the FCTA team made up of relevant directors and others in the discussions.

“The purpose of the discussions was to resolve the protracted dispute regarding the actual size of land legally allocated to DAAR Communications as against the area covered by their perimeter fence. The whole idea was for both parties to mutually agree to reach a settlement that would bring about a permanent solution and forge ahead for the development of the FCT and the nation at large’.

“The FCT Administration was therefore left with no other option than to do the needful by removing the illegal structures. With this removal, other allottees are now free to access their plots of land,” the statement said.