By Chikaodi Chukwuleta

The Chairman and Managing Director, Anambra  State Physical Planning Board(ASPPB), Barr Chike Maduekwe has warned those who parade themselves in the state as  Registered Engineering  Council  of Nigeria, moving around, collecting huge amounts of money from houses marked as illegal structurte for demolition to desist from  such acts.

Maduekwe disclosed this during an inspection  exercise with his team at Abatete, Uke, Umuoji communities in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

He said some people have been spotted moving around the state threatening to demolish people’s building if they fail to meet them, adding that he has referred the matter to the appropriate authority.

He stated that the only agencies who have  the authority to do physical planning and development control are Awka Capital Development  Authority,  Physical  Planning and  Anambra Material Laboratory Test and that others are criminals that should be charged to court.

During the inspection, the ASPPB Chairman noticed that developers who have been given several notices with inscriptions written on the walls of their buildings  have not complied with the authority, rather their staff who went on inspection were assaulted and beaten.

He told the developers that the built environment must be sanitized and people must show their building permit, even as he maintained that the window period of  August 1st to October 31st is a period of grace without penalty.

He said that when the grace elapses, any structure without building permit will be razed down and the owner will be charged to court.

“People are living as if we are in a lawless society. That  period is over. We will no longer tolerate all those kind of impunity where people build and say nothing will happen,” he said.

According to him, every building without approval  has been suspended and every approval given to developers has been demanded for revalidation for the building permit because of lapses observed .