Residents of Kano Aviation Quarters protest demolition of their houses
Residents of Aviation Quarters on Airport Road in Kano on Wednesday protested the demolition of their property by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN).
A FAAN taskforce had demolished some structures at the Aviation Quarters.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Mr Obadike Muhammad Mustafa, a staff member of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and secretary of the Aviation Quarters Committee, said that they legally purchased the property from the Federal Government and possessed valid documents to prove the ownership.
“This Aviation Quarters was approved for sale by the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC). Since 2011, we have been engaging with the committee following similar sales of property at Bukavu Aviation Quarters and along Jaba Road between 2007 and 2008. After a lengthy process, we finally secured Federal Government approval in 2021 and were able to purchase these houses legally.
“We have three agencies residing in this estate: FAAN, NAMA, and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).
“However, FAAN has been resisting the sale despite it being in line with the government’s monetization policy, which has been in place since 2003.
“Today’s demolition and eviction exercises were carried out despite our formal objections,” Mustafa said.
He added: ”Most of us have paid and purchased the houses legally with receipts from the Federal Government.
”We are all given allocation letters by the Federal Government, and we have paid into the account of the Federal Government.
”These are our papers and receipts which are up to date, is FAAN not a Federal Government agency?”
”Why would FAAN not contact the Presidential Implementation Committee but rather threaten staff to relinquish the properties we have paid for.”
Mustafa criticized FAAN’s approach to the issue.
“We had notified them in writing, and we have an acknowledgement of receipt. Given that we hold valid ownership documents, FAAN, as a government agency, should have followed due process by engaging with its parent ministry and the presidency to verify the legitimacy of our claims,” he said.
He said that the demolition came as a shock to the residents.
“We want the public to be aware of what is happening. FAAN’s management is acting against an established government policy and disregarding our legal rights as homeowners,” he added.
However, when contacted, the FAAN Acting Regional General Manager, Malam Ahmed Danjuma defended the demolition saying that the Aviation Quarters were originally designated as institutional duty houses for airport staff and should not have been sold without FAAN’s consent, even though the property belonged to the Federal Government.
He said that FAAN was not consulted before the Presidential Implementation Committee initiated the sales, and the authority only became aware of the transactions through unofficial sources.
“These quarters were built over 35 years ago specifically for aviation workers to ensure safety, security, and operational efficiency at the airport. However, some individuals approached PIC and purchased the properties under the monetization policy without FAAN’s involvement,” he stated.
The FAAN official further alleged that some of its staff who acquired the houses illegally resold them to third parties, leading to unauthorized extensions and modifications.
“FAAN was acting on directives from its headquarters to reclaim the properties and prevent further unauthorized transactions. We issued notices to the affected individuals to vacate, but after weeks of noncompliance, FAAN had no choice but to proceed with the demolition,” he explained.
‘’Some of the staff that claimed that they bought the properties have been transferred, hence how could the houses be their own.’’
The situation remained tense as affected residents insisted they had legal ownership of the property, while FAAN maintained its stance that the sales were unauthorized.
