By Stanley Onyekwere
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has vowed to ruthlessly deal with fraudulent estate developers in the nation’s capital.
Bello added that, the administration will have no option than to work under the right laws and regulations to reveal their nefarious activities.
He spoke yesterday at a-two-day workshop of the Federal House of the Representatives ad-hoc Committee to Investigate the operations of real estate developers in the FCT.
The workshop with the theme: “A critical assessment of the real estate revolution in the FCT since the millennium, the gains, the pitfalls and the future, was organised by by the House Ad-hoc Committee on Mass Housing /Real Estate Development in the FCT.
According to him, “I personally will ensure that we work together under the leadership of the AD-HOC Committee with strong enforcement of the law and regulations as was earlier indicated by the chairman of the AD-HOC Committee.
“ In spite of the few challenges, I maintain that the public private partnership still remain the only option available to us in meeting houses challenges, that is why as we look in to the future, we have the land for infrastructure in one of our district that is the Gwagwa district and subsequently, others will also come up with very strict regulations that protects the Estate investors, protect the government, and protect the on takers as well as those financing the projects along the entire value chain.
“Taking time to go through the various strategies of the housing development of the FCTA, within the last few years, the theme of this workshop is very apt, and that of course in the journey so far, the pitfalls have been discovered, I am personally convinced that getting the right synergy in the out come of this report, we will get it right in just a few time.
“The out come will further strengthen and help us in our quest in the development of FCT and make it more responsive to the needs of the people that is why all the relevant heads of Department and agencies that are with in the housing constipation agencies are all here.
“A fast growing city of Abuja, and it’s ever increasing human population there will always be a need to meet the shelter needs of all the categories of people who have chosen to recede here, over the years, various changes, strategies were involved to meet the right basic accomodation needs of the residents of the FCT.
“Starting of course with the government on first set of accomodation of civil servants in Garki Area One, and a part in Gwagwalad and Suleja. These were eventually sold off to civil servants occupants, and that is the sale of government houses , thus giving many Nigerians the opportunity to own their own houses in the nation’s capital city.
“The FCT Administration subsequently introduce the mass housing scheme to be driven by the private sector. it became apparent that government alone can could not possibly meet housing needs of the citizenry, while this scheme enabled decent accomodations, it also came with its own challenges, some of which are mentioned by the chairman of the ad-hoc Committee in her speech a short while ago”, he added.
Earlier, the Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee, Hon. Blessing Onyeche Onuh disclosed that the committee’s preliminary findings indicated that the FCT has been losing an estimated N600 Billion annually, in revenues accruals to it from the real estate sector.
Onuh reiterated that FCT Minister is entrusted with enormous powers by the constitution to enforce the provisions of the law establishing the FCT for the common good of all Nigerians living or visiting the Territory.
“We as law makers and representatives of the Nigerian people shall never relent in giving you the needed support to carry out your constitutional duties. Posterity shall hold us all to judgement if we all abuse this trust either by our actions or inactions.
“The process to check nefarious activities of many developers must begin today. We enjoin you to demonstrate the political will most needed at this critical moment in the development of the Federal Capital City.
“We are certainly seating on a ticking time bomb and history shall record it that at this time we had the opportunity to restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in our ability to preserve their commonwealth and we did it for our people to the glory of the almighty creator”, she stressed.
