Tears as FCDA evicts family of 6

Photo: 

Sun News Publishing

By: 

GODWIN TSA, Abuja

Date: 

Thu, 07/05/2012 

Officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) have broken into the residence of Mr. Daniel Udensi and thrown out their property and other valuables, rendering the family of six homeless, despite a subsisting lawsuit contesting the ownership of the three bed-room flat. The family, now lodging in a hotel said they were traumatized by the act even as most of their property had been destroyed by the rains .

In a lawsuit instituted against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the FCDA and the Ad hoc Committee on sale of Federal Government Houses, Mrs. Scholastica Nwachukwu, a public civil servant in the employment of the FCDA said the said house was dully allocated to her by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation since December 31, 2004 and had been in possession of the apartment since then.

The said letter of allocation issued on December 31, 2004 and endorsed by the Director, Housing and Maintenance for the Head of Service of the Federation was exhibited and admitted in evidence by the court. She told the court however that when she applied for the purchase of the apartment, the defendants declined to issue her a letter of offer for the house even after paying the necessary fee. After several failed attempts, she went to their office and extracted and was given an assurance that the house would be allocated to her.

However, she was shocked when after sometime, the apartment was advertised for sale despite the fact that she was in possession and had even expressed her interest to buy the house. “When the property was advertised, I was advised by the defendants to bid for it and I raised a bank draft for the sum of N375, 000.00 in favour of the defendants as 10 per cent deposit, but the house was still not sold to me, she told the court.

She was, therefore, contend ing that as a public servant who was in possession of the premises as an illegible sitting tenant, she was entitled to be given the right of first refusal in accordance to the Extract at the Federal Government Official Gazette and section 74 [1] [g] of the evidence Act. Section 14 of the said Gazette provides that “civil servants should purchase their houses at current replacement cost while political office holders should purchase their houses at the market value through open bidding but with the occupant given the right of first refusal.”

SOURCE: 5 July 2012.