History is being made as the FCT Administration concludes arrangements for President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to perform the ground breaking of the Abuja Land Swap Initiative this Thursday.
The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed CON, who made this disclosure Tuesday in his office at Area 11, Garki I District, Abuja said that the flag off will take place in Waru District, along Apo Mechanic Village road, Abuja.
Senator Mohammed further disclosed that the 15 investors are expected to expend over $2.8 billion (about N560 billion) to provide the needed engineering infrastructure.
The Minister said that the flag off would formally enable the investors to simultaneously and fully commence the provision of engineering infrastructure in the nine brand new districts in the Federal Capital City (FCC), which he emphasized, is unprecedented.
“These nine districts of the Abuja Land Swap Districts include Ketti North, Sheretti, Ketti, Sheretti Chechi, Waru Kpozaima, Burum, Burum West, Ketti East and Gwagwa,” he added.
Senator Mohammed remarked that the groundbreaking ceremony for the provision of engineering infrastructure in these districts of Phase IV (South) within the FCC is on the basis of the FCT initiative of leveraging on its land resource for infrastructure provision; thereby freeing the funds in possession of the government for other social services like education, health and environment.
His words: “We estimate that this initiative will provide additional housing for more than 1,000,000 residents which will further reduce the housing deficit by about 35% in the next 5 years as well as put more money in the hands of FCT Administration for human development activity, particularly in the areas of health and education.”
According to him, “this transformative initiative will further provide more than 1,000,000 skilled and unskilled employment to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory in particular and Nigeria in general”.
The Minister revealed that these 15 investors are also expected to spend over N64 billion on resettlement and compensation challenges, which include their infrastructure, housing and compensation.
Senator Mohammed reiterated that the flagging off is meant to also jump start development in those areas to bid farewell to the menace of land speculation, freezing and racketeering in the Federal Capital Territory.
He added that the Land Swap has been strategically planned to key into the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.
