By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Livelihoods were wiped out in hours on Tuesday, July 28, as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) launched a major demolition exercise.
Devastated business owners and workers say their investments evaporated overnight, alleging officials gave them little or no notice before bulldozers moved in.
Persecondnews team visited the demolished site on Thursday at the Lokogoma area of Abuja, where business owners and workers recounted their experiences, describing the destruction of investments, the loss of livelihoods and growing uncertainty over their future.
One of the affected business owners, Charles Avwenagha, owner of Stopover Bar and Grill, said he received no official demolition notice and only began evacuating his property after hearing rumours the area would be cleared.
“Nobody gave me any notification or notice. I only acted on rumours by shutting down and evacuating my equipment, but while workers were still dismantling the building, bulldozers arrived and brought the entire place down,” he said.
Avwenagha said he invested money borrowed from the United Kingdom into the business and is now left with debts and dozens of displaced workers.
“I took a £75,000 loan from the UK to invest in Nigeria. I have 84 staff, and now I have to repay that loan while 84 families have lost their source of income,” he said.
He added that the experience had shaken his confidence in investing in Nigeria.
“I believed in Nigeria enough to leave my family in the UK and invest here for 14 years. After this experience, I can’t encourage anyone in the diaspora to invest because this has destroyed everything I built.”
Another affected investor, Clem Aris, owner of Aris Club, said he returned from the United States to establish the business but lost it within months of opening.
He said:”I returned from the United States to invest in Nigeria and opened Aris Club less than six months ago. My business is gone before I could even recover my investment.”
Aris said the demolition came shortly after what he described as an inadequate notice.
“We were given what was supposed to be a 24-hour notice, but it wasn’t even up to 24 hours before demolition started. We barely had time to remove our property.”
He warned that such experiences could discourage foreign and diaspora investment.
“I can’t confidently tell my friends abroad to invest in Nigeria after this. Too many people have lost their businesses, jobs and livelihoods because of what happened here.”
Workers also described the devastating impact of the demolition on their livelihoods.
The manager of Stopover Bar and Grill, Mukhtar Yahaya, alleged that workers were still evacuating equipment when demolition began.
“We were already trying to move our property when the bulldozers arrived and chased us out. Many of our equipment were destroyed, and over 84 workers have now lost their jobs.”
Loveth Usman, a kitchen staff who said she had worked at Stopover Bar and Grill for about six years, said the demolition had left many employees stranded.
“I’ve worked here for about six years. This job is how I support my family, and with the demolition we’ve been rendered jobless and don’t know where our next income will come from,” he lamented.
Similarly, Chika Ani, a waitress and student, the demolition has also put her education at risk.
“I’m a student, and this job pays my school fees and other educational expenses. Now that the business has been demolished, I don’t know how I’ll continue my education.”
Samuel Peter, a chef with stopover, said he is worried about providing for his family.
“I’ve worked here for four years and have three children to care for. With 84 of us now unemployed, I honestly don’t know how I’ll provide for my family.”
Persecondnews reports that the affected owners and workers appealed to the government to provide explanations for the demolition, ensure due process in future exercises and consider measures to cushion the impact on displaced businesses and employees.
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