The Task Force on Beatification of the Warri South Local Government Council in Delta State on Monday rolled out its bulldozers to commence full-scale demolition of illegal structures across the council area.
The rollout by the task force is in line with the resolve of the council chairman, Dr Michael Tidi to particularly improve on aesthetic of the oil city of Warri and its environs as well as rid the area of criminals who take refuge in shanties and other illegal structures.
Chairman of the Task Force, Mr Kenneth George, in conjugation with the Delta State Task Force on Environment headed by Chief Silvester Oromoni, commenced the demolition exercise at the NPA Expressway, where all illegal structures along the road were brought down by bulldozers.
Recall that the council Chairman, Dr Tidi had given all those who have illegal structures in the council area abatement notice to quit such places.
The task force which came out as earlier as 9am to commence the demolition took most of the traders by surprise as some of them were unaware that the bulldozers coming.
Some of the traders at the Edjeba community, close to the Delta Broadcasting Station (DBS), Warri, who were around when the demolition exercise started were seen making frantic efforts to salvage their goods before the bulldozers crushed their caravans.
Those that were yet to resume for the day’s business activities were the first casualties of the demolition exercise as the bulldozers could not wait for them to remove their wares before crushing their caravans together with their goods inside.
At the Ugbunwague market also along the NPA Expressway, illegal structures were also demolished even when some of the traders were begging for more time to enable them to evacuate their goods.
The task force also demolished illegal structures along the Warri/Sapele Road and Hausa quarters.
Speaking to newsmen during the demolition exercise, Dr Tidi said there is no going back on the demolition exercise noting that there will be constant monitoring after the demolition to ensure that people do not come back to re-erect the structures.
On the demolition of illegal structures under the Ogunu bridge, Tidi said, “This place has been used by criminal elements. People come to this place and take all types of illegal drugs and they have turned this place into a den of robbery.
“Before we started this demolition exercise, we have done our investigation and we know what goes on here both in the day and at night. So what we are doing here is a welcome development by the council and the task force on Environment.”
On his part, Chairman of the Delta Task Force on Environment, Hon Sylvester Oromoni told journalists that the state is working in conjunction with the Warri South Council to ensure that the area is clean and beautiful.
He said, “We want Warri to come back to its past glory and so, we will not allow people to build stores along our roads like this.
“All this area is government land and we cannot allow people to occupy this place illegally because seeing the way this place look right now is an eyesore.
“The chairman of the council, Hon Michael Tidi, is in charge of beatification of Warri and as soon as he finishes this demolition exercise, the beautification of Warri will take off.”
On complaints by some of the people who own the illegal structures that they were not given enough notice to remove their stores, Oromoni said the task force had given them abatement notices over one year ago.
He said the people who refused to remove their structures were just been stubborn.
He added that the state environmental task force is working with the Uvwie council chairman and other council chairmen in the state to do the same thing that the Warri South council is doing.
