The FCT Administration has put all machineries on ground to create about one million additional jobs in various fields of endeavour within the next 5 years.
The FCT Minister, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed made this disclosure on Saturday in Okada, Edo State in his acceptance speech of the honorary doctorate degree conferred on him by the Igbinidion University, Okada.
The Minister further disclosed that some of these machineries put on ground have been in partnership with the Organized Private Sector culminating in the Public Private Partnership (PPP).
Mohammed said that a number of dynamic and innovative policies have been designed by his Administration to give Nigerians a first class city with the private sector to take the lead in infrastructure investment in the Territory while the Government focuses on policy, human capital development and enabling environment for mutually beneficial partnership.
He remarked that some of these policies include the FCT Land Swap Initiative, which is aimed at the use of land as resource in exchange for infrastructure development.
According to him, currently over 10 districts are being developed with private funds as secondary investments in the land swap districts are expected to rise to the tune of over N3Trillion with 250,000 new jobs to be created in the next 5 years in this sector alone.
The Minister reiterated that among other private sector-led projects are the $2.7 billion Abuja Town Centre, the $18 billion Centenary City project, the $3billion Jabi Lake Resort project, $1.2billion World Trade Centre and many others.
Mohammed noted that the Transformation Agenda of the current Administration led by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has also put together a 30-year National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, which will bring about accelerated development across the country.
His words: “It is a N485 Trillion road map that will catalyze the provision of infrastructure, power, oil and gas, transportation, housing, water, agriculture, social infrastructure, ICT and Federal Capital Territory”.
“This will demand the building of a critical mass of capacity (approximately 33 million jobs) in all these fields among others to deliver to Nigerians,” he added.
The Minister expressed delight for being considered worthy to be among the recipients of a Honorary Doctorate Degree (Honoris Causa) of the Igbinidion University; adding that he is most humbled to join the list of global leaders who have been past recipients of this University’s
honorary degrees including Nelson Mandela (former President of South Africa); Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar – (former Head of State) and John Kuffour (former President of Ghana), among other great personalities.
Mohammed emphasized “this is not an honour done to me alone but a recognition which to a large extent should be attributed to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who deemed me fit to serve as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. I therefore dedicate this honour to Mr. President and other members of his Transformation team within the Federal Executive Council”.
