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Abuja: Pegi residents petition Jonathan,
plan protests over neglect
By Chuks Ehirim
Tue March 8,2011
Seven years after the inhabitants of Idu-Karmu, numbering over
5,000 families, were dumped at Pegi village, in Kuje Area
Council in Abuja without infrastructures, the residents have
dragged the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA)
and its subsidiary, Investment and Property Development Company,
to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, for neglect and
discrimination.
In a petition dated March 3, 2011 and addressed to the
president, the Pegi residents complained that FCDA has refused
to address their several complaints of neglect in the area of
provision of infrastructures, especially the provision of access
road.
In the petition signed by Oriola Wasiu Babatunde and Jude
Akajiobi, Chairman and Secretary respectively, of the Pegi
Estate Residents Association, lamented that “We want to recall
that we are direct victims of demolition of Idu and Karmo
villages in Abuja Municipal Area Council in 2005, then
Government of FCDA relocated us in Pegi without hospital,
School, most especially, access road for over 5000 families
living in Pegi Estate”
The petitioners stated further, that “currently, the investment
and property Development company are planning to tar the access
road that leads to the 1000 Unit Housing Estate, together with
Abuja at 30 village, the property that belongs to the World Bank
and an initiative of the former Minister of FCT, Malam Nasir EL-Rufai,
without putting the residents of this Estate into consideration”
They reminded the president that ''the said access road that
leads to the 1000 Units Housing complex at Abuja @ 30 village,
cuts across five zones in the Estate, ie. Zones A-E,
including FCDA office and navy Quarter, suffice it to say that
stopping the road development at 1000 unit Housing without
the road that leads to Pegi Estate (zone A-E) FCDA office and
Navy Quarters will not only bring discouragement to the Pegi
community, but will show apathy in the side of Government”
They also pleaded with president Jonathan to use his good
offices to” direct investment and property Development company
to extend this development and tarring of the road to the
Estate, FCDA office and the Navy Quarters so that we can also
feel and enjoy the dividends of democracy”.
Investigations revealed that president Jonathan plans to
physically attend the commissioning ceremony of the 1000 Housing
Units at Abuja @ 30 village without the Pegi Housing Estate,
which is billed to take place before the April elections.
In addition to their petition to the president, Pegi residents
are mobilizing to stage a peaceful protest on that day, in order
to draw the presidents’ attention to their plight in the place
these past seven years.
Some of the residents, who spoke to this reporter on the issue,
said the protest is not aimed at embarrassing president
Jonathan, but to expose the way FCDA has abandoned its
responsibilities to the people of Pegi in the last seven years.
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