Landlords raise the alarm over conversion of Abuja houses to hotels

Abuja house owners on Mabglobal Estate, Karsana District, Abuja, have petitioned the Department of Development Control, Federal Capital Development Authority, following the conversion of residential buildings on the estate to hotels.

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In the petition signed by the President, Ahmed Thedicha, and General Secretary, Kufre Charles, they urged the department to address the situation and ensure that the buildings were returned to their original purpose.

The petition was titled, ‘Change of Original purpose.’

It read, “This is to bring to your notice that Plots 400, Main Street; 193, Diamond Street; and 289, Rosemund Street, which were originally meant for residential purposes, have been changed and operated as hotels on the estate.

“Also, two plots on Professor Emeribe Street are insinuated to be hotels in the making.

“We call on you to move in and restore order on the estate by reverting those buildings to their original purpose, which is residential.

Also, stop plots from being developed into hotels.”

They also called on the agency to stop the owner of a container from operating.

“The indiscriminate position of a container at the plaza has the potential danger of causing traffic and defacing the estate.

“These infractions are detrimental, have distorted the original plan of the estate and constituted a nuisance to her inhabitants.”

The Director, Department of Development Control, Garba Kwamku, asked our correspondent to see him in his office over the matter.