Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory was created in 1976 with physical development commencing in 1980 after the production and certification of the Abuja Master Plan. Since then, the Federal Government has been in the forefront in the provision of basic infrastructure and services to the entire 8,000 square kilometers of the Territory.
It was envisaged that the Abuja Master Plan, which made provision for IV Phases within the 250 square kilometers of the Federal Capital City, would be achieved in 25 years. However, in 2014, which is about 38 years, only about 25 percent has been developed which comprises 11 Districts and two Sector-Centres.
The Federal Capital City has about 76 Districts and the sum of about N50 billion is required to provide basic infrastructures like road network, water supply mains, telecommunication ducts, electricity lanes, storm water drainages as well as sewage disposal lines that make a standard district. These are inclusive of District Centres and Sector Centres in cases where there are cluster of about four adjoining districts.
Today, the reality confronting the nation is inadequate funding and Abuja which is one of the projects of the Federal Government has received its own fair share of this economic down turn that seems to be a global phenomenon. With this daunting reality, the World attention is focused on the private sector investors that appear to manage businesses better than the public sector.
With this problem facing the government, there are only two options left for the FCT Administration in carrying out its statutory duties of developing Abuja. The Administration may either fold its arms and develop Abuja at a snail pace or be pro-active to get alternative ways of funding thereby fast-tracking its development, which is the Abuja metropolis and the designated Satellite Towns that are expected to be developed pari-pesu.
The FCT Administration under the leadership of Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed CON, has taken the second option by taking the bull by the horn to find appropriate means of financing Abuja project, if the city must develop in consonance with the dreams of its founding fathers.
The Administration has been able to go into partnership with the Churchgate Group, which gave birth to the on-going 37-Storey Building to house the World Trade Centre at the Central Business District, which is an investment of about two billion US Dollars.
Senator Mohammed has also been able to bring the FCT Administration to partner with the Chicason Group pooling resources from the United Kingdom, China, South Africa and United Arab Emirate to embark on the Abuja City Centre development, popularly known as the Abuja Down Town Development with Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) of 2.7 billion US Dollars.
It would be recalled that recently, the FCT Administration invited the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Architect Muhammad Namadi Sambo to flag off the Abuja Industrial Park. This is a partnership between the FCT Administration and Zerbace Limited on one side and Federal Republic of Turkish on the other side. This romance is bringing 1.8 billion US Dollars as investment into the Federal Capital Territory.
Senator Mohammed has been able to package the Utako Motor Park to attract investment of 134 million US Dollars. This marriage is between the FCT Administration, Intercity Transport Terminal Limited and a Consortium Company of Nerija International getting funding from the US Nexim Bank.
The Abuja Land Swap Initiative crowns all these investments drive where 15 Sub-Districts have been taken by private investors to provide the needed infrastructure that hitherto should have been provided with public funds which seem not to be forthcoming. Thus, about N25 billion is needed to provide one of these Sub-Districts with basic infrastructure and so N25 billion multiple by 15 Sub-Districts will amount to N375 billion.
With this foresight, conglomerates like Dangote Group, Gilmor and SCDC were attracted to participate in this laudable scheme. A situation where land owners hold title documents for God knows when, is now being reversed by this pro-activeness; noting that this huge funds would be pumped into the development of the Federal Capital Territory within just a period of four years which is indeed very unprecedented.
The Land Swap Initiative has also made the government to save the sum of about N4 billion in terms preliminary technical works like engineering design, detailed land use and site development plans, in addition to the survey data.
Ordinarily, the FCT Administration would not have been able to achieve the above in less than 2 years but has now recorded it within a short period of between 6-7 months.
The mouth watering investments into the Federal Capital Territory culminating into other mega projects has impacted positively on other sectors in the Territory. For instance, the Centenary City, which is coordinated by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, would be private sector driven covering about 1,200 hectares of land. While the Aerotropolis project development, which is the Airport City, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Aviation, would be incorporating the present Airport covering a total land of approximately 2,890 hectares.
History would indeed be kind to the present crop of the leadership in the FCT Administration for up-scaling development of Abuja against all odds as paucity of funds has not been taken as an excuse to implement the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan as it concerns the Federal Capital Territory. With budgetary allocation or not, development of Abuja is business as usual for the FCT Administration under Senator Bala Mohammed. All these efforts would become visible and noticeable in a very short time to come, as golden fish has no hidden place.
From what is seen on ground, this investment drive has so far created skilled employment of over 1,000 persons and unskilled employment for over 3,000 persons; with a target to generate about 1 million jobs within 4 years.
Drums would soon be rolled-out in the Federal Capital Territory as people would spontaneously celebrate concrete but uncommon achievements of the FCT Administration because good things are really happening in the Territory as Senator Mohammad spearheads numerous developmental projects and structures taking advantage of the huge capital available from the private sector that seem to drive the economy of comity of developed nations across the globe.
Muhammad Hazat Sule is an Assistant Director / Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister.
