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The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has disowned Prince Joseph Kpokpogiri, after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) pulled down his multi-million naira mansion in Abuja Saturday morning.
Officials of FHA alongside its Managing Director, Gbenga Ashafa, that visited the site of the doomed building three days ago, in company of some top management team of FCTA, admitted that the plot of land originally belonged to the FHA, but denied that proper building plan was approved before the mansion was erected.
FHA affirmed that notices to stop work were served at different stages and time of the work, but Kpokpogiri refused to comply.
The Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Engr. Shehu Hadi, who was also in the team that visited the site, said the road alignment had been done long ago and the FHA was duly notified.
Hadi noted that the road alignment, which the demolished building obstructs, was designed to serve as an important bypass to Abuja-Keffi axis.
He added that any plan to realign the road because of the building would be difficult and not fair judgement to those that it would affect, considering that the demolished building was not in existence earlier when the plan started.
Also speaking, the Director, Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, said the multi-billion naira mansion located in the highbrow District of Guzape, Abuja, was unapproved and can’t be allowed to over ride public interest.
Galadima noted that the mansion, sitting on a rock in the fast developing district, was an obstruction to a major road network, connecting the popular Apo Bridge to many parts of the city.
He said the FHA was duly allocated the area in the district to carry out its Mass Housing programme, but clarified that when the road network of the district was officially realigned; the FHA was promptly notified that some plots of lands within its area have been affected.
Galadima added that FHA was ordered not to allow any further development on the affected plots, as replacement plots will be given to them.
He also denied lack of inter-agency collaboration between FCTA and FHA, stating that all necessary communications were properly documented.
“We told them that no development should be allowed on the plots, and this was around 2019. We came for site visit and gave them notice. We even marked the building for demolition, but the owner cleaned it off”, Galadima said.
Kpokpogiri, the estranged lover of popular Nollywood star, Tonto Dikeh, has however claimed that the decision to pull down his mansion worth over N700m was an act of oppression, claiming it was because he refused to sell it to a powerful individual.
