The Minister of State for FCT, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has ordered the immediate suspension of construction of lock-up shops at the Karu Primary Healthcare Centre.
The construction of lock-up shops is being done by the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in partnership with a private developer to stop with immediate effect.
Aliyu gave the stop-work order during an inspection tour of facilities at the primary healthcare centre in Abuja.
She said that the FCT Administration would set up a committee to ascertain the viability of the ongoing construction work at the primary healthcare centre.
Aliyu, who expressed strong reservation over the location of Karu primary healthcare centre, noted that the centre was not serene due to the proximity of the abattoir and other commercial activities around the facility.
She, however, affirmed that construction of additional lock-up shops by the AMAC within the premises of the primary healthcare centre could compound the existing situation.
” It is pertinent to put a stop to this ongoing construction work. A ministerial committee will be set up with effect from today for immediate action and the scope will be made known to you.
” Membership will include even the operators of the abattoir. Take a look at the abattoir, you cannot have a primary healthcare facility as strategic as the Karu primary healthcare is, and exposed it to so many hazards.
” Having the abattoir here alone is hazard to the functions of the primary healthcare not to talk of a commercial place again. This is a very big project with so many shops around it will over exposed the facility.
“It could be acceptable to have a Sickle Cell Centre or the AMAC health secretariat. We will look at this and other land functions that could be allocated, but certainly it is unhealthy to have these shops here.
” It is already bad enough to have the raw meat sellers within the vicinity and it will be worst to allow other commercial activities to go on here.
” If we must change the land use, we must engage the community effectively because you cannot have a hospital or healthcare centre where there are so many noisy activities,” Aliyu said.
Earlier, the Director of Works, AMAC, Mr Gaza Andrew, informed the minister that the initial project was the completion of the abandoned Sickle Cell Centre and AMAC Healthcare Centre.
Andrew explained that with the involvement of Development Control the council later added the design for corner shops.
” Right here is an abandoned foundation of a sickle cell center, it was abandoned for over 10 years.
” The paramount ruler of Karu personally in 2020 wrote to us that due to the growing cases of sickle cell this project should be completed,” he affirmed. (NAN)
