We have overhauled land administration in the FCT – Bello

 

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, says the FCT administration has broken the jinx in land administration in the City as well as brought in other innovations that have made Abuja metropolis truly modern. In this interview with ABDULLAHI MUHAMMAD, he speaks on other matters as well.
‘We’re making FCT truly modern’
Two years administration
It is your two years anniversary in office what are your achievements?
Actually, we took over the reins of power on the 11th of November, 2015 with the mandate to serve as the vanguard for President Muhammadu Buhari’s Change Agenda administration in the FCT.
At the inception, we unfolded the main thrust of this administration to include; completion of on-going or abandoned critical infrastructural projects that would have positive impact on the life and economy of the city, zero tolerance to corruption, security of life and property, respect for extant rules and general improvement in services.
We noticed that Abuja was fast acquiring the image of a huge camp of abandoned projects and the gridlocks at strategic nodes of FCT highways and byways as a result of incomplete works, or absence of finishing touches to major roads and utility projects. Many connecting arterials were incomplete, including ramps, pedestrian bridges, tangent roads, loops, interchanges and critical arterials. These often made navigating the city a nightmare.
Today, most of these roads, bridges and interchanges have been completed. Pedestrian bridges have been serviced with walkways making them usable by members of the public. With all these decisively tackled, the FCT is back on track again.
The number of projects completed and their positive impact on the lives of residents and the city landscape have proved the administration right.
We have shifted focus to the satellite towns and area councils. Many rural infrastructure development as well as urban renewal projects are on the drawing board.

Payment of contractors
Many contractors have openly cried out that they were being owed for completed jobs?
Despite the challenges of limited funds, the FCT Administration has so far paid the sum of N57.6 billion to contractors handling various projects in the Federal Capital Territory in the areas of infrastructure, water provision, and railway construction as well as health, education and environmental sanitation services.
Also, 627 indigenous contractors owed N100 million and below, with matured bills and for which provisions were made in the statutory budget were paid the sum of N6.9b in the last quarter of 2016. Another N3.3b billion has been paid to 403 other contractors with similar bills in the first quarter of 2017.
The sum of N7, 009 billion was released to contractors handling the Abuja Light Rail project and presently the first phase of this project would be completed and ready for use by January 2018. From the last quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017, the number of liabilities has come down, to less than 50 per cent. Pensioners’ outstanding arrears have been paid up-to-date with the release of N2.3 billion for this purpose; this includes all forms of entitlements to retirees under the FCT Administration.
The Administration has also paid out the sum of N2.4 billion which form part of its obligation to on-going counterpart projects, while the school feeding programme has been re-invigorated with the sum of N980M. Funding for these payments was mobilized through transparent, diligent and judicious management of funds without leakages in the system.

Infrastructure: Dead sites have come alive
How far have you gone in terms infrastructure?
The Inner Southern Express Way Bridge has been opened for public use. The completed portion begins from AYA interchange and cuts off extended distances between AYA and Apo Roundabout and the Murtala Muhammed High way and Aso Drive making it easy for motorists to drive straight on to most part of Abuja’s main business district.
The FCT Administration also awarded the contract and completed the Villa Roundabout Bridge project, which was a major component of the Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX), namely the Murtala Mohammed Expressway.

The “heart of Abuja” highways
One of the priorities of this Administration has been to complete the B6 and B12 Roads otherwise known as Constitution and Independence Avenues respectively.
The roads, which traverse the World Trade Centre and the Diplomatic Zones, are major infrastructures that hold the key to the economic and social vibrancy of the city. It is hoped that the completion of the roads will enable land owners to develop their plots and bring out the skyline of the city centre.
There has been some partial opening of some segments of the Constitution Avenue which has already brought some relief to traffic coming from the Airport Road into the heart of the city. Motorists coming from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport can now travel in dual mode straight through the Churchgate building without the detour which made driving clumsy.
Works on the roads were very skeletal since 2011 because of paltry budgetary provisions. But recently the administration cleared a backlog of payments owed the company handling the project. This has resulted in a massive push to complete the projects.
Already completed segments include the bridges near the World Trade Centre, the National Stadium and Magic Land along with their complementary ramps, loops, arterials, tangent roads and underpass. The scope was to complete the outer carriageways and their bridges as the inner ones have been completed earlier.
It is noteworthy that some major arterials were added to the scope of work by the present Administration, to make the road more functional, in view of the major Central Train Station by the World Trade Centre and the anticipated completion of the Rail Mass Transit project by the end of December this year.

APO Karshi road
Many today know about the 15km Apo Karshi Road awarded by the former Administration but abandoned not long after the hype of its commencement. Conscious of the critical importance of the road to the alleviation of the difficulties faced by commuters from Mararaba, Nyanya and Karu axis, this administration has breathe life into the contract by making good the Administration’s contractual obligations to the companies.
What residents do not know however, is that the road ended in Wasa more than 6km away from the Apo Roundabout. However, in order to pull the road up to the heart of the City, the present Administration awarded the contract linking it from Wasa to Apo Roundabout adding a major interchange to free up traffic flow in and around Apo and Guzape Districts of the City.

What has become of the Abuja light rail?
Abuja is getting ready for its train ride this December as work on the project has reached 98 percent completion. This is hoped would bring relief to the challenge of public transportation in the city.
Airport travellers would now have a choice, either to board cabs on arrival or departure; or ride on trains from the airport train station to the Central Business District Central Station or vice versa.
The Administration had met the project packages of Abuja light rail at below 70 and 50 percent respectively, but drove the projects to 98 percent completion.
The Federal Executive Council has also given approval of the contract for award of Phase 2 of Abuja Rail Mass Transit (Lot 1B), provision of engineering infrastructure to Jahi District, award for the construction of the Right-Hand Service Carriageway of Outer Northern Expressway, among others. It seems a tradition in Abuja that many people await land allocation yet get nothing from the FCT administration, what is the situation now?

Land administration
There has been so much hues and cry by people waiting on the wings for another round of bubble of land allocation in the Territory. Such people gloss over the fact that Abuja is a mature city now and that land is a finite object. Certainly, like all mature cities, the idea of empty plots has become a far cry. Indeed, Phases I to III of the City have been fully allocated while what remains of Phases IV and V is all we have currently.
Consequently, the FCT Administration is emphasizing allocations to groups and institutions as well as high-rise developments to achieve more for the residents within the little space available.
It is lamentable that this Administration met a near chaos in land administration at its inception. The FCT Act and relevant regulations were violated with impunity. There were several cases of abuse of the master-plan, proliferation of illegal survey documents, double allocations, land-use mismatches, forgeries and land racketeering; which at a time was estimated at over N10 billion.
In addition, statutory institutions that were established to ensure transparency in land administration, like the Land Use and Allocation Committee (LUAC), were either disregarded or deliberately allowed to go dormant.

Today, the Administration has cleared over 1000 copies of Certificates of Occupancy (Cs of O).
Similarly, the operations of all FCTA departments central to the land administration have been reorganized and harmonized while the FCT Land Use and Allocation Committee has been reconstituted in line with the provision of the Land Use Act.
It has streamlined various cases of multiple layouts, revoked titles on wrongfully allocated Green Areas while machinery has been set in motion to calm the anxieties of beneficiaries of approved mass housing projects by giving them bankable personal titles.

Provision of housing
The Administration has commissioned 300 housing units in Capital Estate, in Kaba District on Kubwa Express Road. The project was executed by Abuja Property Development Company Ltd. (APDC). The event demonstrated the preparedness of this Administration to make good on its promises to tackle the FCT housing deficit. For as low as 6, 12 or 16 Million Naira, young, middle or higher level officers could subscribe to houses that fit their income and after an initial modest down-payment, could space out the remaining part according to terms corresponding to their mortgage arrangements.
Beyond the commissioning of the already completed houses, the Administration also broke new grounds for the second and third phases of this estate development initiative. The APDC has by these projects created jobs for a considerable number of skilled and unskilled workers as over 700 construction professionals and artisans were already working here.

How does the grassroots benefit from all these projects?
Urban renewal projects in selected rural settlements
The Administration is revving up a subsisting urban renewal partnership project for selected rural settlements. This is with a view to opening up the grassroots of the Territory to make them places where people could live, work and play.
The indigenous settlements include Jikwoyi, Dutse Alhaji, Gwagwalada and some Kuje communities. We submitted proposals which were acceptable to African Development (ADB) and UN-Habitat. As a result, a substantial part of the prequalification conditions have been met which include project identification, detailing of scope of work and identification of major problems.
Under the arrangement, FCT is shopping for a $300 million syndicated loan by both institutions at an interest rate of between 1 to 1.5 percent. The facility would be channelled to address the dearth of modern infrastructure among the rural communities.
Over one million people are projected to benefit from the life improvement projects. Facilities to be provided include water pipelines, electricity, roads, sewage and other basic utilities.

Education is one of the basic needs of the residents of FCT what impact have you made on education?
Education
The Administration has established 3 new high schools in Kwali, Jikwoyi, and Abaji, while Government Secondary School Mpape was moved to its permanent site. Combined, these schools are catering for the educational needs of 5000 students, we have completed hostel blocks at Abuja University of Technology, Abaji as well as construction of clinic, provision of external works, access road, borehole, ground and overhead water tanks.
The school feeding scheme has been funded to the tune of N1.453 Billion.
Constructed 221 classrooms, 22 blocks of 4 compartments toilets, 7 Science/intro-tech laboratories, 3 boreholes, 1 Administrative block, 1 Library, and 1 volleyball court in various primary, junior and senior secondary schools in the FCT; as well as extended electricity and infrastructure to the Abuja/Korea Model School in Airport Road, among many others.

Health facilities remain in adequate in the FCT, what progress have you made in this regard?
Health and social services
On the health sector, the Administration has remained alert to the threat of diseases like Monkey Pox, Polio and epidemics. The administration has recorded the following milestones: Re-energised the drug revolving fund scheme with a total of N2.94 billion.
Released the sum of N300 Million towards the construction of the 220-bed Gwarimpa General Hospital almost abandoned some years back, commenced the operation of Karu General Hospital as well as the Zuba Cottage Hospital for skeletal services, by providing the needed staff and provisions of necessary furniture, drugs and dressings.
And finally, we have introduction of payment system in FCT Water board to stem revenue leakages and the completion of 1.2MW solar power project in collaboration with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has reduced the cost of energy.

Water supply
The FCT has had issues with water supply?
The Administration is on course to ensure adequate water supply for FCT residents. Consequently, FCT Administration is looking to the Chinese NEXIM Bank for a $450Million loan for the extension of water supply to hitherto unreached loops in the Federal Capital Territory. Areas to benefit from the project include Lugbe and contiguous communities.
The project will involve over 8000 kilometres of pipeline network and will add over 50 percent volume to the present water supply. The loan, which has been included as part of the Federal Government borrowing plan for the year is awaiting the necessary consideration by the National Assembly.
Contractors handling various projects for FCT Water Board have returned to work following recent payments of outstanding liabilities owed them by the former FCT Administrations. The Board realized over N1.5 Billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2016 alone while hope is alive that more will be achieved at the end of the year.
Achievements of the Board include; introduction of payment metering system which has stemmed revenue leakage and the completion of 1.2MW solar power project in collaboration with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Another fruit of the solar power project is that it has reduced the cost of energy needed to power the water treatments plants.

What plans do you have for the future of the city?
If you would recall recently we swore in mandate Secretaries, who are equivalent to State Commissioners. The appointment of the new Mandate Secretaries and political aides is a signal for the commencement of the next phase of the Administration’s developmental initiative.
This would be marked by massive investments in infrastructure in the satellite towns and rural areas. Other areas of priority in this phase would include education, health and making Abuja a smart city.
Those appointed, have been charged to get fully acquainted with, the direction and priorities of the Administration as well as the public service rules and, government procurement guidelines in line with the Administration’s zero tolerance to corruption.

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