The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abuja

‘House developers facing challenges in Abuja’

The principal partner of Luxiar Construction Limited, Muhydeen Okunlola Kayode has raised dust over illegal structures springing across the Federal Capital Territory, stressing that it is a ticking time bomb.

Kayode, who argued that owners of those illegal structures have circumvented the plan approval process and do not follow due process, control or regulation.

“It is now a ratio of 65:35 where illegal structures are almost double the legal structures we have. While the approved standard buildings are growing arithmetically, the illegal structures are spreading geometrically,” he said.

Government needs to do something quickly to address the imbalance in order to avert the imminent crisis, he said.

“Unoccupied houses in the capital are a great cause for concern. Houses are locked up for various reasons ranging from being out of reach because they are too expensive or may be money laundering products. There is a need for there to be a database to document the owners of houses.”

Impact

Shelter is very important. Without a house, you can hardly plan your life or make significant progress and that is why Luxiar was born.

People associate owning a home with having a lot of money, but it is not so with Luxiar.

Read Also: Former governors, firms, others lose choice land in Abuja

Most of our clients are public servants and then a good number of private sector workers so nobody is too small to own or rent a home. We also have a partnership with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) which enables its clients to access the National Housing Funds (NHF) contributions.

What makes Luxiar unique

Building homes is important at Luxiar Homes, but so is making sure that customers get value for their money and earn their trust.

Luxiar goes over and above to understand the clients’ needs and then create tailor-made solutions. As long as a client pays up to 30 percent of the cost of the property in view, he is issued an allocation letter and can access his house. In other places, before they issue allocation and grant access, one must have paid 70 percent or full payment.

Also, Luxiar classifies its housing units into high, medium, and low-income categories. The Bwari site is meant for the low-income earners while the Life Camp site is for the higher income earners or senior staff.

This way, the company has been able to cater for the housing needs of more people. At large, we are contributing uniquely towards bridging the nation’s housing gaps.

Our services cut across diverse social classes the people are availed of wider choices at more affordable rates for them. That is why we believe in establishing trust with our clients. And we do not just see them as clients, we see them as partners.

Credibility

At Luxiar, we verify all land allocation papers to ensure that only right and authentic documents are issued. This is because land scammers and fraudsters are always trying to get ahead by faking documents and some unsuspecting persons have often been caught in their web.

To settle disputes with Abuja original land owners and indigenes, Luxiar often mediates between the company and the district head or the Hakimi for amicable resolution through the settlement of the concerned families.

The reach of Luxiar

Luxiar is a frontline player when it comes to real estate and construction. We have built housing units in various parts of Abuja and other states.

As at April 2023, we hit and surpassed 3,000 housing units in Abuja alone and they are at various stages of completion. So far, Luxiar has delivered over 2000 houses to their happy owners while the rest are still being built.

We have houses spread over a wide area and are currently located in about 15 locations all in Abuja. Some of these locations include Life Camp, Kaura, Games Village, and Gaduwa within the Federal Capital City radius. A major housing project site of the company comprises over 700 units near Brains and Hammer, Life Camp, Abuja. As at April 2023, the project was about 70 percent complete. The company has also started the second phase of the project near the same location made up of 500 housing units. As stated, beyond Abuja Luxiar also operates in some other states in Nigeria.

Focus

At the moment, the company places a lot of emphasis on two-bedroom houses. The reason being that Africans are social in nature and they usually accommodate relatives and dependants. Just as mentioned earlier, it is all about our clients’ needs so we develop the kind of houses where they can grow with their families for a long period of time.

Families may start with a one-bedroom apartment at the beginning but it is not convenient for them as they expand.

Challenges faced by housing developers in FCT

Illegal buildings springing all over the place is a ticking bomb. The owners have circumvented the process of getting plan approval and do not follow due process, control or regulation. As it is now, it is a ratio of 65:35 where illegal structures are almost double the legal structures we have. While the approved standard buildings are growing arithmetically, the illegal structures are spreading geometrically. Government needs to do something quickly to address the imbalance to avert the alarming crisis in this vital sector as removing such illegal developments might come with frightening risks and costs.

Also, unoccupied houses in the capital are a great cause for concern. Houses are locked up for various reasons ranging from being out of reach because they are too expensive, or they may be products of money laundering. There is a need for there to be a database to document the owners of houses.

Lastly, the cost of building materials keeps on rising higher and higher. The sector has to be regulated by the government urgently.

Trust and confidence

The company does not sell more than what is available on ground. For those who cannot wait, they have the option of seeking alternatives.

We believe in discipline both in handling clients’ funds and in the quality of the house we deliver.

Professional challenges

Number one challenge is dealing with the off takers. To combat this, we bring in artisans and workers from outside Abuja and house them within the project site. So, we can concentrate without distraction and deliver in good time. All these efforts are geared towards cutting costs to deliver more affordable and standard houses to clients. Another challenge are the fraudsters and land grabbers which has been addressed earlier.

September 23, 2023
Former governors, firms, others lose choice land in Abuja
- Obi, Agabi, Dariye, Imoke, Udoma, banks, construction firms, others on the list
Many prominent Nigerians, some of them former ministers, ex-governors, non-serving senators, top politicians, and other categories of highly-placed individuals and firms, have lost the land allocated to them in Abuja by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The revocation order issued through a public notice and published as advertorial in this edition of The Nation, was done as a result of failure to develop property or contravention of relevant laws.

Among those affected are: Ex-governors/Senators Liyel Imoke and Joshua Dariye. Imoke was Cross River State Governor while Dariye was served in Plateau State.

Also on the list are former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Kanu Agabi (SAN) and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.

Read Also: Tinubu mandates training of talents in digital skills

Obi was presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 presidential election.

Also revoked are properties allocated now deceased former public office holders, such as: the late Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) the late Ufot Joseph Ekaette and the late publisher of Leadership newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah.

There are 165 properties revoked by the FCTA in this batch.

Many companies have also lost their landed properties. These include: Trade Bank; Wema Bank; Julius Berger and Pearl & Diamond Properties Limited, among others.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, on assumption of office, hinted that owners of undeveloped plots and those who ran foul of the city’s Land Use Act, would forfeit ownerships of such land.

Yesterday’s statement by FCT Permanent Secretary Olushade Adeshola, gave effect to the minister’s warning.

The Permanenet Secretary said the measure was taken due to the violation and contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy.

The statement reads: “The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) hereby informs the general public that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 28 (5) (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act, 1978, revoked the under-listed plots with names and titles as reflected in our records for continued contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy to wit non-development”.

The affected properties are scattered all over the various districts in the FCT – Utako; Katampe Extension; Idu Industrial Area; Asokoro; Jabi; Wuse; Wuye, Gudu and Maitama.
September 22, 2023
Peter Obi, ex-Govs, former Senators, BUA, others lose choice land in Abuja

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 election, Peter Obi is among many prominent Nigerians, including former ministers, ex-governors, non-serving senators, top politicians and other categories of highly-placed individuals and firms, who lost the land allocated to them in Abuja by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The revocation order issued through a public notice and published as advertorial in this edition of The Nation, was done as a result of failure to develop property or contravention of relevant laws.

Among those affected are: Ex-Governors/Senators Liyel Imoke and Joshua Dariye. Imoke was Cross River State Governor while Dariye was served in Plateau State.

Also on the list is former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Kanu Agabi (SAN).

Also revoked are properties allocated now deceased former public office holders such as: the late Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) the late Ufot Joseph Ekaette and the late publisher of Leadership newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah.

There are 165 properties revoked by the FCTA in this batch.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, on assumption of office, hinted that owners of undeveloped plots and those who ran foul of the city’s Land Use Act, would forfeit ownerships of such land.

Read Also: Lagos Assembly names standing committees, chairmen

Yesterday’s statement by FCT Permanent Secretary Olushade Adeshola, gave effect to the minister’s warning.

The Permanent Secretary said the measure was taken due to the violation and contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy.

The statement reads: “The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) hereby informs the general public that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 28 (5) (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act, 1978, revoked the under-listed plots with names and titles as reflected in our records for continued contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy to wit non-development”.

The affected properties are scattered all over the various districts in the FCT – Utako; Katampe Extension; Idu Industrial Area; Asokoro; Jabi; Wuse; Wuye, Gudu and Maitama.

September 22, 2023
FCT arrests 400 persons, impounds 50 vehicles in Abuja over illegal trading

The newly inaugurated Operation Sweep in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has arrested 400 persons and impounded 50 vehicles for various offences.

The commander, Chief Superintendent of Police, Umar Kadiri, made this known while briefing reporters in Abuja on Monday, September 18, during an operation to dislodge illegal traders selling items on the street.

The operation also dislodged illegal motor parks, removed illegal structures on the streets, demolished scavengers’ shanties and set them ablaze.

The operation took place at Utako Ultra-Modern Market and down through A.E Ekukinam Street to Jabi Motor Park and environs among other locations to keep Abuja city clean.

Kadiri said that the 50 vehicles and the 400 people were arrested between Friday and Monday, adding that some of the offenders have been prosecuted.

He explained that the operation was part of efforts to strengthen environmental sanitation in the FCT by clearing hawkers, demolishing illegal structures, unauthorised car parks, and activities of scavengers.

Read Also: FCTA to demolish illegal buildings in Abuja popular market today

He said: “We have impounded not less than 50 vehicles from Friday to date and arrested not less than 400 people. Some were prosecuted and others will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

“The clearing of illegal traders by the roadside around the markets became necessary because they were constituting obstacles to free flow of traffic and defacing the city.

“Beyond keeping the city clean, clearing them would also ensure a free floor of traffic in Abuja streets, including market areas where traders and their illegal strictures have taken over the roads.

“Most of these traders were associating themselves with scangers who are allegedly stealing people’s valuables in the name of scavenging.”

Also speaking, Kaka Bello, deputy director, Monitoring and Enforcement, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), said that the operation was part of ongoing exercise to Keep Abuja clean.

Bello said that Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the FCT had recently inaugurated the Operation Sweep FCT to ensure effective sanitation in the city capital.

He said: “As you can see, we are here with different security agencies to provide the needed support for a hitch-free exercise.

“We have been here several times, but the illegal traders and scavengers return after some time to continue their illegal activity.”

He advised owners of properties in Abuja to take over their properties and develop them to prevent miscreants from proliferating undeveloped areas for illegal and criminal activities.

The operation sweep was made of the representative of the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Immigration Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, and Department of State Services.

Others are the Nigerian Army, Navy, and the Airforce, as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps and AEPB.

One of the affected scavengers, Mr Mohammed Sani, whose shanty was destroyed around Jabi Motor Park, confirmed that they had been vacated from the area a long time ago but returned.

He said: “I know that we have been warned to leave the place, but we are just trying to survive.”

Also, a resident, Ismail Haruna, commended the government for clearing the streets to restore sanity on Abuja streets.

He lamented that illegal traders have taken over major streets, built illegal structures for selling all kinds of items, including drugs.

He said: “I am very happy that the FCT administration has taken steps to keep our city clean.”

September 18, 2023
Lagos-Abuja superhighway

• A big dream of entrenched infrastructure; a clear peep into Nigeria’s economic future

The idea of a Lagos-Abuja superhighway, doing the trip in between four and six hours, cannot but excite travellers. The 717.7-kilometre journey now takes no less than 12 hours.

The very idea, from the Works and Housing minister, Senator David Umahi, former governor of Ebonyi State, is an affirmation of President Bola Tinubu’s continuity of the acute infrastructure focus of his predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Umahi’s sizzling talk is matched by his glittering infrastructure record in Ebonyi State.

It is also a grand vision of what an infrastructure-powered Nigerian economy would be in a few years, if the Tinubu government walks the minister’s brilliant and visionary talk. Infrastructure, after all, is not only the spur but also the backbone of the economy.

How would Lagos to Abuja (and vice-versa), even in six hours, feel? For starters, halving the 12-hour travel time. If it’s four hours, that is two-thirds reduction of the present travel time. That’s almost magical!

Then, look at value, both private and business. A traveller after six hours is definitely fresher than someone on the road for 12 hours. Then, cargo: less time on the road delivering bulk is clear reduction in costs. That, other things being equal, should reduce inflation.

Then, human wellness: the shorter a driver spends en route to his destination, the higher his ability to stay alert; and the rarer, needless road crashes.

Read Also: Fed Govt to review performance of hospitals, FMCs, others

Besides, the choice of infrastructure ministers: that Umahi is succeeding Babatunde Fashola, who like Umahi also distinguished himself in infrastructure, both as thinker-governor of Lagos and as Works and Housing minister, just shows the federal emphasis on infrastructure is not about to shift. That’s good and welcome news.

But away from individuals and ministries: Umahi’s proposed superhighway opens a riveting prospect of mutual cooperation and healthy competition in core project deliveries, by the cluster of infrastructure ministries: Transport, Works and Housing, Aviation and Marine economy.

A Lagos-Abuja superhighway speaks to a Lagos-Abuja super speed train, perhaps in no more than four hours too. A part-answer to that is already in the Lagos-Ibadan-Kano standard gauge rail. The standard gauge is designed for faster trains.

The Abuja-Kaduna rail is a section of the Lagos-Kano rail — indeed, its first completed segment, with former President Goodluck Jonathan earning the credit, for his government completed the project in December 2014, though President Buhari inaugurated its commercial shuttle service in July 2016.

So, whatever challenged Umahi to work on the Lagos-Abuja superhighway should also challenge Mu’azu Jaji Gambo, the transportation minister, to work on the Lagos-Abuja rail.

The 312-Km Lagos-Ibadan section is already in service. Incidentally, a Lagos-Abuja high-speed train (615 km) is already embedded in the plan — and the Lagos-Ibadan section has already taken more than half of that.

So, the new transportation minister (his job pared down to just rail and auto) has his job well cut out for him. If he cannot surpass the passion of Rotimi Amaechi, the Buhari-era rail czar, he has no business not matching it. The health and future of the Nigerian economy may well depend on his drive.

Just imagine the value the delivery of cargo by rail, its likely cheaper cost, aside from longer lives of Nigerian highways!

But the utmost driver of core infrastructure is funding. President Buhari did most of it by tapping into the debt market — with its sweet-sour — including Sukuk bonds, and leveraging recovered stolen funds.

President Tinubu would have to look for more sustainable funding: a bigger tax haul, right pricing to generate revenue from already existing rail shuttles — human and cargo; highway maintenance tolling, and corporates’ road building from tax rebates (a funding strategy embedded under Fashola which is still in practice) — and maybe a smaller size of the debt market too. Mass rail, if well managed, can always pay its way, with Nigeria’s ready and booming market.

Still, thinking of cluster funding, Marine and Blue economy could prove a game-changer to fund infrastructure, if somehow it embraces smart revenue-harvesting practices. Its operation is basically revenue-spinning. A part of its earning could be devoted to infrastructure funding, after upgrading ports’ infrastructure.

Umahi’s Lagos-Abuja superhighway dream is more than just roads. It’s a metaphor for infrastructure as a spur of the economy and its sustainable funding. It’s the right focus and direction to go. All that is required is fresh — and critical — thinking.

September 11, 2023
Waking up Abuja master plan
- By Gerald Adewole
With the swearing-in of the new ministers, the business of governance under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has fully commenced. The ministers have since assumed duty and are unveiling the policy agenda of their respective ministries. Nzenwo Nysom Wike, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), like other ministers, has hit the ground-running, with the firm promise to sanitize the capital city, restore the city to its original master plan, clean up the infrastructural decay in the city and make the city a place all Nigerians can be proud of.

While to many, the coming of Wike as FCT Minister is a welcome relief, to others, it is heart-breaking. As the capital of Nigeria, the most populous nation in Black Africa, Abuja is expected to be Nigeria’s flagship city; a model city par excellence and the vista through which the entire world perceives Nigeria. As the seat of power, Abuja plays host to the high and the mighty, all those saddled with the responsibilities of governance at the executive, legislative and judiciary levels. It is also the primary abode for members of the diplomatic community who are on foreign missions to Nigeria. As a cosmopolitan city, Abuja is a melting pot for Nigerians from all works of life.

Read Also: Wike vows to collect over N34bn owed FCTA

It is in the light of the above that we must ensure that the city truly reflects the best of Nigeria’s image, in aesthetics, architectural design and sanitation, as well as in decency and orderliness. Those who conceived and designed the master plan of Abuja had in mind the vision of a model Nigerian city where all responsible citizens of Nigeria would be proud to call their capital city; and a city that foreigners would visit and affirm with sincere satisfaction that indeed, we are a decent, orderly, organized and responsible people.

Today, that vision is far from being realized. Abuja has become a city where anything goes; a city whose beauty has been marred by illegal structures and shanties. It has become a breeding ground for cattle with its streets invaded by beggars, hawkers, homeless lunatics, “portfolio swindlers” and miscreants constituting security threat and environmental hazards. Heaps of decaying garbage dot the streets of the city oozing stench to the repulsive air.

Night life in Abuja has become a theatre of the absurd, with the red streets flooded by half-naked young ladies openly soliciting for sexual patronage. From “Woman Boku” in Kubwa through Chris Garden area of Jabi to Mabushi, Wuse Zone 4, the Globacom area of Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, to Rita Lori hotel axis in Garki 2, sex workers are on rampage in Abuja, like the historic invasion of the city of Morocco! And nobody appeared to have been concerned about it.

It is for this reason that the appointment of Wike as minister is highly soul lifting. The minister has indicated his burning desire to sanitize the city and bring down any structure erected on unauthorized areas or not built according to specification. While this is necessary to make owners of such structures pay for their sin of desperation and conspiracy to wilfully distort Abuja master plan, the minister should take a step further to bring to justice, the officers of the ministry who turned their faces the other side while these rots were going on. There are relevant departments in the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (MFCT) and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) saddled with the responsibility of approving building plans for structures and supervising to ensure that the buildings are constructed to specifications. It is arguable that the Development Control arm of the ministry has been in deep slumber or in active connivance to this colossal crime. The minister’s stern warning that directors in the ministry should either sit up to perform or quit is therefore apt and timely.

It is also noteworthy that development in the FCT has greatly slowed down because of the activities of cabals in the system who hold property owners and developers to ransom. Today, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a poor man to secure building plan approval from the FCT Ministry. The system has been greatly riddled by all forms of irregularities and perversions. This apparent violation of due process has greatly promoted a culture of land racketeering, profiteering and pervasive recklessness.

The minister has also vowed to recover all lands long allocated but not developed from the original allotees. While this is in order, the minister should exercise caution in implementing this because many of these lands remain undeveloped because of some bottlenecks placed on the land owners by officials of the ministry. For example, since the past six years or so, the FCT authority has placed embargo on building plan approval for all lands in all the Area Councils. Land allotees in the Area Councils cannot even open files to process their building plans, which is the first step towards securing approval to build. The legitimate land owners are left with no option but to wait until the embargo is lifted or risk their hard earned resources to mobilize to site with the connivance of some ministry officials. This accounts for why we have explosive population within the city centre, with heavy consequences on its carrying capacity. The minister may do well to lift the embargo on the building plan approval for Area Council lands to enable property owners commence development promptly. After all, the essence of allocating plots to people is to enable them build and occupy their properties and not for fun or fancy.

Finally, the task to sanitize Abuja is not an easy one. The minister should be aware that he is going to meet with intense resistance, and stiff opposition from high quarters, and even among some of his colleagues, friends and associates. However, as long as he is on the right path, God Almighty, through the prayers of well-meaning Nigerians, shall see him through.

The hallmark of good leadership is the ability to do the right things and not the nice things. So many things that are nice are not necessarily right. To be right in the sight of God and in the sight of men in his decision, he has to be fair, firm and forthright. At the end, we shall all be accountable to God on the extent of equity and fairness we displayed in discharging the responsibilities of the offices He gave to us in trust towards our service to humanity.

As President Bola Tinubu has stressed, this administration is committed to delivering the greatest good to the greatest number of people possible.
- Dr Adewole, a public affairs analyst writes from Abuja.
September 6, 2023
Why I bought new house for my Nanny in Abuja, Kogi-born PDP chieftain Natasha reveals

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Kogi Central senatorial candidate during the 2023 general elections, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has gifted her Nanny, Isah Damaris, a two-bedroom room bungalow worth millions of naira in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Presenting the two-bedroom bungalow to the Nanny, on behalf of the family, Natasha said: “I ask that you take this two-bedroom house as a token of our deep appreciation for the love and the care you have shown our family.

“You came into my life 10 years ago as a Nanny but you have grown to be a second mother to my children. You have been through moments with me. Thanks you so much, Damaris, and congratulations.”

Read Also; PSC inaugurates 11-man board for recruitment of police constables

In her remarks, Damaris urged other nannies to be compassionate, honest, and prayerful in carrying out their duties while thanking Natasha and family for their good gesture.

She said: “I don’t know how to say thank you. This is too big. I pray that all the nannies will be kind and be rewarded like this.

“Don’t put your eyes in what is not yours. What is yours will surely come to you no matter how long it will take.

“Don’t maltreat any child. Every child is to be loved, so you love them. Put God first in everything you do. Prayer is the key to everything. I sincerely appreciate this.”

It was gathered that the two-bedroom bungalow is well-finished with a living room, dining, visitor’s toilet, and car parking lots.

The politician was said to have been reaching out to less privileged in the country.

It was also learnt that the PDP chieftain had in 2021 acquired multimillion naira equipment for one Dauda Sheidu, a 40-year-old amputee vulcanizer to make his operations easier and seamless in Kogi state.

September 4, 2023
Abuja master plan: Can Wike give the kiss of life to it?

Since December 12, 1991, when the capital of Nigeria was moved from Lagos to Abuja, there have been several blunders, including defacing the master plan that would have added to the aesthetics of the city and non-relocation of those who are indigenous to the city. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports that one of the ways through which Wike will succeed as Minister of the FCT is by ensuring that the poor are well-cared for to guarantee that they have access to affordable mass housing

he Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has hit the ground running after the inauguration of ministers by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last week.

With his antecedents, one would wish Nyesom Wike to be deployed to the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Works, or Ministry of Power. As pillars of the country’s economy, these ministries and some others require special attention.

But, the President knows what he wants and he has given Wike the task to manage the FCT.

Insecurity is the main cause of the country’s devastated economy.

Food insecurity and instability of the polity are caused by herdsmen, bandits, and terrorists’ activities.

Despite investing trillions of naira since 1999, Nigeria has not been able to generate, transmit, and distribute 5,000 megawatts of electricity, and the country’s lack of infrastructure has also reached a crisis level.

Instead of being deployed to other places as many had anticipated, Wike was drafted to the FCT as the minister.

Read Also: Wike bans congratulatory billboards in his honour

Wike, however, has a crucial role to play in the FCT because it is another facet of our national life that demands attention.

The resuscitation of the Abuja master plan has become one of the urgent tasks that Wike is expected to carry out.

Since Nasir el-Rufai served as the FCT Minister 20 years ago, Abuja has gradually skidded into putrefaction. It is as though the city has never genuinely had a minister who understood the responsibilities of his position.

As a result, the FCT is currently transforming into a large urban slum and is repeating the errors the country experienced in Lagos. This resulted in the country proposing a new Federal Capital City in 1976. However, it was built throughout the 1980s and on December 12, 1991, the capital of Nigeria moved to Abuja.

The same circumstances that caused the country to relocate its capital from Lagos to Abuja are at play.

Abuja is 2.5 times bigger than Lagos in terms of land mass. The purpose of enlarging Abuja was to establish a site where growth could be planned and staged. The tallest building in Abuja should have 12 floors, according to the city’s master plan. The city will have many gardens, parks, and other green areas.

However, a large number of the spaces that were originally meant for parks and greenery that would add to the aesthetics of the city have been converted into office and residential areas. These stain the charm of the once beautiful city.

Since many of these illegal structures are located near waterways, when it rains, flooding occurs, destroying buildings, taking lives and causing damage to several properties.

Abuja is the only major city in Nigeria where a fresh start is possible.

However, ever since the Murtala Mohammed regime conceptualised it with Decree 6 of 1976, there have been several blunders. The first blunder was the failure to relocate the native Abuja residents from the FCT, to prevent Abuja from belonging to just one group of Nigerians rather than all Nigerians.

The International Planning Associates (IPA) was inaugurated in June 1977 by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to produce the Abuja master plan and its regional grid.

Normally, the locals should have been relocated to the states—Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi and others -whose lands contributed to the FCT, following the payment of fair compensation to them. This should have been done before Abuja’s evolution as the new capital territory. But it wasn’t.

For this reason, Abuja’s indigenous population has remained a crucial component of the FCT. Successive administrations have had trouble integrating them. Several FCT administrations, most notably that of Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Timbut Useni as FCT Minister throughout the Abacha and Abdulsalami eras, established chiefdoms in the FCT and granted their chiefs staff of office to ensure their continued presence in the FCT.

Since those who were indigenous to the FCT were not moved to where they should call their homes, it became difficult for the natives to have somewhere to call their homes.

Any successful FCT Minister would have to deal with the contradictions and carry the indigenous people along. This Wike has graciously promised to do.

The Minister/Governor of the FCT is the President, according to the 1999 Constitution (as amended). As the President’s vicar, Wike thus acts as his representative/governor and takes all decisions.

Since the assumption of office, Wike has conveyed the idea that he has the vision and political will to rival and even surpass the El-Rufai era.

Wike has held several critical positions in the past, including chairman of the Obiakpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, Minister of State for Education, Acting Minister of Education and finally two-term Governor of Rivers State; his last position before being appointed as the FCT Minister. Wike is a highly independent-minded individual with a strong sense of purpose and clarity of vision.

Immediately after taking the oath of office, he held his first press conference, proving that he was aware of the problems the FCT was experiencing and, more significantly, that he was committed to fixing them.

For instance, Wike clarified that structures that were not constructed according to the dictates of the Abuja master plan would give way. He centred his belief on the need for a proper city, the necessity for law and order and the steps that must be taken to restore the master image and aesthetics of Africa’s most significant metropolis.

The high level of insecurity in the FCT, the city that is meant to be the safest in the country and a popular tourist destination, was, once again, brought to light by Wike. Armed robberies and other forms of criminalities are increasing, and bandits and terrorists have recently made considerable inroads into Abuja.

He was on point when he said that the satellite towns need to be upgraded to ease the pressure on the city centre. Wike needs to take decentralisation of the bureaucracy from the city centre into consideration.

Neither the FCTA nor the FCDA may be required to operate from the city centre. If Abuja is to be decongested, radical decisions must be made, making Wike’s nomination as Minister of the FCT a significantly strategic move.

There is also no excuse for the area councils not to act as the operational hubs for institutions such as the Defence Headquarters and various other ministries, including agriculture and defence.

Instead of the city centre, where the majority of Nigerians currently gather, area councils need to emerge as major centres to host workers, contractors and developers as well as some important ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

To restore Abuja’s master plan and image, as Wike also stated, strong surgical measures are needed.

But Wike faces obstacles that must be overcome.

The Abuja master plan was ruined by the wealthy and political elites.

He needs the President’s full backing to deal with them in addition to his obvious will and determination.

The poor have also contributed to Abuja’s degradation since they have no other choice but to build indiscriminately on land that the local chiefs, who have no legal authority, offered them. Genuine alternatives are required. Wike must put his vision into action by making sure the poor are well-cared for to guarantee that they have access to affordable mass housing.

Equally apt is Wike’s desire to reintroduce Abuja mass transit. This will ensure effective and cheap urban transportation that will connect the city centre and all satellite towns to Abuja City Centre.

The building that collapsed last week that claimed two person’s lives and 37 others injured also put to test the will of the minister to enforce the Abuja Master Plan to avert such reoccurrence.

Some of the buildings around Lagos Street may have to be demolished to avert a crisis.

Will the minister take the risk and carry out the demolition with the law in place?

Former Special Assistant to the FCT Minister during Buhari’s administration, Comrade Ikharo Attah told our correspondent that Wike should be courageous enough to effect the Abuja Master plan.

He said: “Abuja should not be left to degenerate. Things should be done the right way.

“Wike that I know will follow the Abuja master plan and nothing will happen. The natives should support him and ensure that Abuja does not degenerate.”

On what the law says about the recent collapse building, Secretary Command and Control of the FCTA, Peter Olumuji said: “The law states that any building that collapses, the owner would lose ownership of the land. That means the land automatically belongs to the Government.

“The collapsed building at Garki Village does not even have a building plan approval as revealed by the Director of Development Control.

“And the entire village is meant to be resettled before now. So, the minister should ensure the right thing is done. This is how the master plan can be restored; enough of illegalities in any form.”

August 30, 2023
Fed Govt to pay N825.8m compensation on 4.2-km Abuja Airport runway

The Federal Government has settled the issue of compensation with the Jiwa community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to allow the eventual take-off of the delayed second runway project of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

During a meeting with the community leaders yesterday, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), and his FCT counterpart, Nyesom Wike, released N825,819,911.43, being the total sum agreed with the community for compensation.

The community leaders had disagreed with the Federal Government’s offer, insisting on N2 billion compensation.

But at yesterday’s resolution meeting, Keyamo said: “The second runway ought to have been commissioned by now, sometime in June or July 2023. But we haven’t mobilised yet to the site because of unresolved issues of compensation.”

Read Also: Governors, Akpabio, Akume lead APC battles in Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa

The aviation minister said the issues surrounding compensation, by law, did not concern his ministry.

He said the huge sum the communities demanded was not achievable and that it would have set a bad precedent.

Keyamo expressed optimism that the project would be completed fast since the parties had reached an amicable resolution.

Also, Wike, who announced the resolutions at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting, said: “I want to identify myself with the communities. If there is anything I can do to make you happy, I will make it alone.”

August 30, 2023
Abuja millennium tower project will be completed in two years, says Wike

The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has assured that the millennium tower project would be delivered in the next two years.

Wike stated this after a closed-door meeting with contractors handling different projects in the FCT.

The Millennium Tower at Central Area, Abuja, is a multifunctional edifice with facilities for cultural exposition, tourism, socialisation, recreation, hospitality, and commercial activities.

The project is being handled by Salini Construction Nigeria Limited but, it has been abandoned due to lack of funds.

Wike said the millennium tower project is a very important project that would change the landscape of Abuja city.

The minister said: “It is a very very ambitious project, but again if we are talking of Abuja being one of the best cities in the world, then we must have such a facility.

“I can tell you it is not easy to go into that project, but we have decided that whatever it takes, it is going to be one of the legacy projects for President Bola Tinubu.

“In fact, we are looking at the next two years, if the way we are going to structure our payment is agreeable with the contractor.”

It was gathered that the project, conceived in 2005 had reached 40 percent completion, and is expected to, upon completion, self-finance itself from revenues generated from all the commercial activities in the complex.

The scope of the project comprises a cultural centre with four museums, an expansive arcade consisting of 40,000m2 platform for hosting national and other events.

It also consists of a five-star hotel with 55 luxury rooms and nine suites for about 130 persons, offices, passive and active recreational facilities, 1200 capacity auditorium, conference rooms,

Others are exhibition halls, shops, a sport centre with an indoor pool, gyms, fitness, squash courts and a two-level 1,200 capacity basement car park.

The millennium tower itself is a 170-meter-tall structure accommodating a revolving panoramic restaurant for more than 130 diners.

The minister added that a careful analysis of all the awarded contracts with the contractors and his team have revealed that most of the projects were abandoned due to lack of funds.

He said: “The minister of state, myself, the permanent secretary, and directors have concluded that it is not possible to carry on with the entire projects in the FCT.

“Therefore, we agreed to take them in order of priority. We have tried to work out most of the projects being handled by Julius Berger and agreed to see that these projects are fully completed.”

Wike added that the Villa Roundabout being handled by China Geo-engineering Corporation (CGC) Nigeria Limited, would be completed in the next six to eight months.

He equally said that the ministry would ensure the completion of the projects being handled by Cetraco Nigeria Ltd, and also put a facelift on Garki, Wuse and part of Maitama in the next one week.

He said that the contractors would be mobilised immediately, adding that Asokoro would equally have a facelift in no distant time.

Read Also: Wike bans congratulatory billboards in his honour

On the Abuja light rail rehabilitation project, the minister said an agreement has been concluded with CCECC Nigeria Limited to give them their money in the next two days so they can go back to work.

“We are also discussing with the company on the operation cost, because it will not be good to rehabilitate and then you cannot operate.

“We have told them that on Thursday, we are going to meet to talk about the operation cost,” he said.

Wike pointed out that part of the problems of the projects was because they were not being funded by the national budget.

He said in view of the funding challenge, the ministry would pick some projects that could be completed within a specific period and then decide on what to do again in the following year.

August 29, 2023