By Huldah Shado
A plot of land in Abuja’s Utako District, originally earmarked as a memorial for victims of a 2008 building collapse, is now being developed into a massive shopping mall.
The site, located on P.O.W. Mafemi Crescent, Plot 230, Cadastral Zone B05, was meant to honour construction workers and hawkers who died in the tragedy.
Its original allocation was revoked by then FCT Minister, Aliyu Modibbo Umar, over building regulation violations.
However, construction giant Julius Berger Nigeria Plc is currently developing the property for Hyper City Retail Limited, a Port Harcourt-based supermarket chain.
Investigations suggest the land was reallocated to Hyper City after a series of revocations, with the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), issuing new certificates under the lands department.
The circumstances of the reallocation and the decision to replace a memorial with a commercial complex have sparked questions over transparency and land administration in the FCT.
