THE IMPACT OF THE MASS DEMOLITION OF PROPERTIES ON THE RENTAL VALUES OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES IN ABUJA

THE IMPACT OF THE MASS DEMOLITION OF PROPERTIES ON THE RENTAL VALUES OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES IN ABUJA

(A CASE STUDY OF MPAPE, ABUJA FCT)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Every city in the worlds has a master plan that will direct and guide the development of that city. The aim of the master plan is to avoid unplanned and mix used of land in the city so as to achieve orderly development and maximum convenient of beauty in the city.

So is in this master plan that the topic of discussion (demolition) is alone along presidential Villa – Abuja.

Demolition came into effect in Abuja in 2003 when Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai came into power as a Minister of Federal Capital Territory during former president   life and standard of an area or city that is affected by unplanned and scattered development and properties that were illegally developed such as residential, recreational, commercial, etc will be demolished which Mpape – Abuja is inclusive. Demolition has cause a lot of harm to individuals, organization, group of persons, families that fall victim of it. Some died in the process, some left Abuja entirely due to the lost of their properties, some were homeless without base, some organization have closed forever due to effect of demolition on their capital value.

Therefore, the question is, was this demolition done with due process? And the answer is No, because some people use political power to victimize their political rivalries.

1.1     STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS

The recent demolition along presidential villa – Abuja has some problem associated with it though bring necessary evil, a lot of people were displeased, some died as a result of heart attack, some went mad, just because of the same zero life, they have to start again after they feel they have made it in life. When people feel they were at the top of their peak in wealth and later become miserable, it is better to die then live for some people.

The government could have made provision to photo-type houses before the demolition, to accommodate the displayed persons, what the government doing new at ado along Kaduna road by building photo-type houses to demolish Garki village for resettlement is a well come development.

1.2     AIM

The aim of this project is to assess the impact of mass demolition on the rental value of residential properties in Mpape, Abuja FCT.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The following are the objectives

1. To examine the type of residential properties in Mpape.
2. To examine the areas affected by demolition.
3. To access the pattern of residential properties and factors affecting it in Mpape.
4. To examine the problem associated with residential properties in Mpape.
5. To examine the factors influencing the residential value of residential properties in Mpape.

1.3     SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The scope of the study will be limited to the Impact of the Mass Demolition of Properties on the Rental Values of Residential Properties in Abuja, Mpape precisely.

Limitation of the study arises as a result of limited finance, time for completion of the project and access to some relevant data.

 1.4     JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STUDY

This study does not merely serve as a requirement for the award of national diploma but also serve as an instrument for knowing the impact of mass demolition of properties in Abuja on rental values of residential properties with particular reference to Mpape in Abuja. It is also among the significance of this research work to:

1. Guides prospective developers or investors of residential properties in the study area on the GRA location to invest.
2. Aid a decision making concerning residential properties in Mpape, Abuja.

1.5     HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF STUDY AREA

Mpape is largely an informal settlement located in the hills just outside the expressway that circles the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja. With a population that residents estimate to be around 1.8-2 million inhabitants, it has grown swiftly from a village to major city in the space of just about 30 years.

While there is a small “indigene” population of native Gwari / Gbagyi, the vast majority of inhabitants are so-called “settlers” who have moved to Mpape during recent decades because of its relative affordability and proximity to employment opportunities in Abuja. Some of the “settlers” were also resettled to Mpape following the demolition of districts such as Wuse and Garki within the FCT to make way for the implementation of the “Abuja Master Plan.”

For decades, Mpape has also been home to a number of major mining sites owned by major construction companies – Berger, Arab Contractors, Crushed Rock, et al – which benefit from most Federal Government contracts for road and other infrastructure projects in Abuja and across Nigeria. Indeed, many Mpape districts derive their names from that of the closest company, i.e. “Berger Quarry Road I,” “Berger Quarry Road II,” and “Arab Village.”

Neglected by planning or regulatory authorities for decades, residential areas in Mpape lie side-by-side with mining companies’ blasting sites and over the years have suffered the expected consequences – roofs blown off, damage to structural integrity, etc. Aside from building access roads to their sites that double for residents’ use and providing benefits to a few (i.e. traditional “indigene” rulers) in exchange for political favors, these companies have done little to help develop Mpape’s infrastructure – although they have done more than government.

What infrastructure does exist in Mpape – electricity, water, roads, schools, health clinics and other community facilities – is primarily the product of residents’ self-help efforts. Residents’ associations have sprung up over the year for different areas of Mpape to collect levies among neighbors and collectively invest in transformers and other electricity infrastructure, build and maintain roads, build schools, etc. Residents report that Mpape pays N14m each month for electricity from the Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria (PHCN, formerly NEPA) – dwarfing the monthly revenues from Abuja itself. Residents even contribute to bring security to Mpape, recently donating a building for a new police station in a previously un-served area.

The tragedy of Mpape is that, despite all this collective investment and communal effort, the vast majority of residents – like most Nigerians – lack security of tenure. Early settlers claim they were encouraged to move to Mpape by previous FCT administrations. Most purchased their land for good value from “indigenes” who have traditional title to land. Many have over the years paid various land use-related fees to the local government as well as the FCT. Despite all of this, the FCT government has refused formal recognition to Mpape residents’ land ownership.

In July 2012, the FCT Minister Bala Mohammed announced by radio and television that his administration intended to demolish 19 villages around Abuja including the entirety of Mpape. Numerous houses were marked in different areas of Mpape including Ajegunle, Eneje, Mashafa, Area 1, G.R.A., etc. Community members report a sudden influx of police and military presence within Mpape during that time of crisis.

Beyond the share magnitude, the threatened demolition is also discriminatory as it explicitly targets the houses of settlers, not of indigenes, irrespective of who actually holds legal title to land. This divisive tactic, which encourages traditional rulers and indigenes to sell out their neighbors and persons to whom they previously sold land, has characterized the FCT Administration’s approach to demolitions of numerous human settlements since the creation of the FCT.

The people of Mpape were quick to respond led by an umbrella group called the Mpape Residents Association. The group contacted the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), organized a peaceful protest to the National Assembly, and got the threatened demolition into the national and international media, including Al Jazeera, the BBC, and Voice of America. A team of lawyers led by the well-known human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has also been litigating a case challenging the legality of the threatened demolition since August 2012.

RAINFALL

In the summer/raining season (August to October) s got hurried air from Atlantic drift into Abuja from the south west by July the outline country is corned in hurried air, the rainfall from about mid–march until about mid-October. Houses can fell doing during this period. In the writer, the harmattan a mass of cold day air from the desert crosses the country. The hire dusty haze that the harmattan brings can last for weeks or months. The harmattan winds die down by the end of farming and day season finishes around the end of March of middle of august. The major agricultural products of the inhabitants are:

DEVELOPMENT OF ABUJA

The 1979 master plan called for Abuja to be developer in four phases. It estimated a population of about 1.6million by the year 2000 and maximum population of 3,000,000 well into 21^st century. Nearly the entire phase 1 development has been completed and includes the following; the central business district, the three arms done (presidency, national assembly and Supreme Court) as well as maintains, Wuse, business districts. Most of  the diplomatic mission have relocated to Abuja from Lagos, some are using temporary building and residences while their permanent structures are being built the Bwari district Gwarinpa district, where many of the construction companies “life camps” is located has also been developed but has outside the phase eves, construction of sources companies and enterprises continue to at a fast price in Abuja and now places open weekly, phase 2 under development currently, involves the integration of surrounding Katampe, Mabushi, Utako, Wuse, Durumi, Gudu, Jabi, Dutse and Galadima areas into a city, phase 3 and 4 have not yet been fully planned.

Unfortunately some of the initial infrastructural facilities are now being ever stretched. The government is aware of these challenges and is working to rectify the disparity.

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