Demolition: Some Sokoto residents decried poor compensation package
Demolition: Some Sokoto residents decried poor compensation package.
By Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto.
Some residents of Mabera a sub bulb of Sokoto metropolis whom houses were earmarked for demolition have appealed to Sokoto State Government and New map, a World Bank agency to increase the compensation package offered to them.
They made the appeal in an interview with THISDAY on Monday, in Sokoto
The houses were marked for demolition to give way for the rehabilitation , expansion of roads and to construct drainages for the control of annual flooding that have been destroying the area for decades
Speaking with THISDAY Alhaji Sanusi Muazu, expressed his displeasure and urged the State Government and New Map to heed to their plead in order to increase the compensation package.
” As I’m talking to you I have 15 children and this is the only house I have , I have been given a check of N500,000 as compensation ,the money cannot afford to buy a land talkless of erecting a structure he stated.
Another resident Hajia Hauwa Ahmadu said she was given a check of N1.5million for her four (4) bed room which she said is grossly inadequate to build that type of house considering the high cost of building materials
She lamented that the compensation issue have been politicize stressing that another person with same four bed rooms as her’s was given a check of N3.8million .
” When they gave me the check I wrote a complain letter and submitted it to New map they promised to look into the matter but up till now we are still waiting for them she said.
Alhaji Abdullahi Musa said they are calling on the state Government to do the right thing as they settled down there before they came up with this new plan.
In a swift reaction the Coordinator New Map , Sokoto, Ibrahim Umar said those complaining are not fair to themselves saying the compensation exercise was done in fair and transparent way.
Umar added that the exercise was carried out by independent evaluators .
He further argued that the exercise was not skewed as speculated stressing that houses are of different categories.
“You might have three bedrooms and another person with same three bedrooms but building are of different quality he added.
The coordinator further disclosed that the residents had disregarded town planning regulations which caused devastating flooding in the area
According to him the residents should be grateful to World Bank and Sokoto State Government for initiating the project which he said at the end will ameliorate their plight .
