|Ukorebi Esien|08 October, 2017|
Going by a letter from the Cross River State Ministry of
Lands and Urban Development to the management of City Chic and Uwayen’s events
and Bridal located at 29 Ndidem Usang
Iso street Calabar, the ministry will be demolishing all properties in Calabar previously
used as eatery but now used for other purposes .
The October 3rd letter which has gone viral on
facebook questioned why the managements of City Chic and Uwayen’s Events and
Bridal would use a building formerly used for eatery for a boutique and beauty
care business stating that the change in use of the building is illegal and as
such they have deprived the state government of the needed revenue from the property
and also have a negative corresponding traffic level in the environment.
The letter signed by TPL Abobana Edim Abobana reads in part
...in order words, you had embarked on a major renovation of
that property without recourse to the development control department.
This is to say the least has deprived the government the
needed revenue and corresponding
impacting negatively on the traffic situation in that neighborhood.
In view of the above, I am to inform you to return that
property to its original use (eatery) within seven (7) days from the date of
this notice, otherwise the office will demolish same and charge the cost to you
in addition to any legal action that may be deemed fit in accordance with the
cross river state building regulations of 1984 and as amended 1987.
Currently Many Crossriverians have raised eyebrows on the
above letter while questioning why the government through the Ministry of Lands
will be interested in upturning the use of only the property located at No.29
Ndidem Usang Iso Street.
If the property that currently house City Chick must be
demolish under the guise of illegal use of building, then Former Chicken Republic
at Marian road now used for Thumbs Up Ayade, a campaign outfit for his
Excellency the digital Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade must
also be demolished. Another property that have been singled out by Crossriverians
that must be demolished by Ministry of
Lands and development is Airtel Nigeria customer care office at Etta Agbor road
and Udec communication (a phone shop) Communication opposite UNICAL both were
formerly used for eatery by Chicken Republic and Mr. Biggs respectively.
Another question running through my mind is, why will the
state government want to demolish the structure just because it now houses a
beauty care business that does not chunk out large revenue to the state government
compared to an eatery? That building had been laying waste for months without
generating any revenue to the state government.
Why will the government now want to destroy a place that will
now be adding to the state’s revenue even if it may not be as much as Mr. Fans
was paying when it was using the property?
As the saying goes, half bread is better than none. As someone rightly
asked me this morning, was it not the same large taxation that closed down Mr.
Fans?
Ukorebi Esien
Blogs an Edits for TDN
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