Jubilations as FCTA begins development of new district

Communities along Gwagwa-Karmo-Deidei road were in a joyful mood on Tuesday when the FCT Administration officially announced the commencement of the development of Gwagwa District. The residents are hopeful that the area would be opened to infrastructure, especially repair of the deplorable but ever busy road leading to the district. The FCT minister, Malam Muhammad […]

Communities along Gwagwa-Karmo-Deidei road were in a joyful mood on Tuesday when the FCT Administration officially announced the commencement of the development of Gwagwa District.

The residents are hopeful that the area would be opened to infrastructure, especially repair of the deplorable but ever busy road leading to the district.

The FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, had handed over the Gwagwa District Development to Messrs Gwagwa Concession Limited under the Land for Infrastructure Swap Programme of the FCT Administration.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, at Gwagwa District in Abuja, the minister said the administration adopted the land swap programme when it became obvious that it could not develop the FCT using its annual budgetary allocation.

He said, “developing the city using the annual budgetary allocation is simply not possible now because of the way the city has grown astronomically in terms of physical expansion and rising population.”

 The programme in its most basic form, the minister added, is to grant an agreed percentage of land to an investor for comprehensive development and in exchange for the grant, the investor is to provide both specified infrastructure as well as resettlement costs.

He also said the programme is a 10-year comprehensive plan with four years meant for the provision of infrastructure.

This is the area that most concerns the residents of the area as expressed by the traditional ruler of Jiwa, Alhaji Idris Musa, who said the project would open up infrastructural facilities in the districts.

He listed road, water, electricity and security among some of the facilities it would bring to the area.

This is also corroborated by the FCT minister, who said its primary objective, in its simplest form includes the encouragement of home ownership and reduction of housing deficit in the FCT, provision of infrastructure in designated districts as well as finding lasting solution to resettlement and compensation challenges of the FCT Administration.

City News reports that the programme will be driven 100% by the private sector and is to be carried out in strict compliance with the provisions of the Abuja Masterplan and also in accordance with the technical specifications and standards established by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

The project is being handled by Gwagwa Concessions Limited with Julius Berger Nig. PLC as technical partners.

The Managing Director of Gwagwa Concessions, Mr Farouk Saleh, while presenting a symbolic key of the District to the FCT minister, promised that his company would deliver on the provisions of the contract for the development of Gwagwa District.