Builders support government’s land revocation and reallocation order in Abuja

Independent reports that former president of Nigerian Institution of Building (NIoB) and former Minister for Sports, Bala Kaoje, has supported government’s land revocation and reallocation order in Abuja, saying funds generated therein would be used for development of other areas.

The former president Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) remarked that the leadership of the FCT has been very generous in the past in terms of providing all the necessary infrastructures needed for development, as well as allocating lands to people at peanut prices, despite billions spent for infrastructures development.

Kaoje said that the issue of paucity of funds for development has forced governments at various levels to look inward, for sources of funds to be able to open up more areas within the FCT administration so that the congestion within the few districts would be reduced.

“I felt that many of these plots are there undeveloped, meanwhile, infrastructures are already provided in those areas.

“And these plots were allocated to the owners at peanut prices, and they have left them for more than 20 years undeveloped, making the city look awkward. So, I felt government should do something about it by asking the people to come and develop it within a specific period of time.”

However, the builder advised that government should give the order a human face by giving the land owners a grace period of about six months within which they should develop their lands; and where there is no action, government should go ahead and revoke and reallocate to the right persons.

The former NIoB president stated that right now, the budget of the FCT is still with the National Assembly. Even at that, he said, all the funds (IGR/budget) put together isn’t enough for the Minister to be able to execute some pressing projects.

“So, if he can now revoke some of these plots, they would go into the open market and sell off the plots at high prices. It might not be as high as the normal speculators. But you would still find out that billions are going to be raised therein.

“If the FCT Minister is able to realize billions within the next few months, he can proudly go and open up a new area, invest the money and develop the area and allocate the lands in those areas. The same thing would apply if people who get land allocation don’t care to develop them for ages, then they would end up losing them.”

While admitting that it is the responsibility of government to offer services, Kaoje stressed that there is a limit to how much services they can offer. Hence, according to him, people must be careful of how they use whatever they get from government so that they don’t get government unnecessarily stressed out.

Consequently, he insisted that the revocation came at a right time, as it would help government to raise a lot of fund out it.

Reposing confidence on the Minister of the FCT, the former Minister for Sports stated that, whatever is realized from the exercise would be judiciously utilized to touch the lives of people living in Abuja and its environs.

Source: Independent