Mixed feelings as FCTA begins relocation of villages

There are mixed feelings among some communities affected by a resettlement exercise that will be carried out by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Daily Trust can report. While some are worried they are leaving their ancestral homes where they have lived for ages, others are concerned about the distance between the new resettlement and […]

There are mixed feelings among some communities affected by a resettlement exercise that will be carried out by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Daily Trust can report.

While some are worried they are leaving their ancestral homes where they have lived for ages, others are concerned about the distance between the new resettlement and the city centre while others are pleased they are moving away  in order not to be affected by future developments or demolition that might take place in the area they occupy presently.

According to the FCTA there are seven communities sitting in the Phase 2 and 3 of the FCT that are to be resettled in order to pave way for development and modern structures  in the capital city.

The communities are Utako village, Maje, Jabi Yakubu, Jabi Samuel, Mabushi, Zhilu and Kdadina villages.

Shere-Galuwyi, a farming community sitting on the  edge of Mpape district in Abuja  has been earmarked to resettle the seven communities. About 900 hectares of land has been provided by the FCT Administration to relocate the affected villages.

Daily Trust visited Shere- Galuwyi and gathered that the FCTA had built about 2261 houses, police post and also made provision for infrastructure such as water, schools, health centres and road network to make life comfortable for the new migrants.

One of the villages that is set to be relocated, Jabi Yakubu, popularly known as Jabi Masallaci community located in the heart of Jabi districts  is said to be obstructing the development of estates and modern structures.

Daily Trust also visted the Jabi Yakubu community and observed that structures  built in form of shanties were becoming rampant  and unbefitting of other development anticipated in that area.

Speaking  on the resettlement programme, the Etsu of Jabi, Malam Yakubu Auta told our reporter  his community  needed to be relocated to make way for development in the city centre.

“If we don’t leave now, in few years to come it will be very inconvenient for us to stay here as most of our children are not government workers but farmers. If we continue to build houses of our choice, government will come one day to demolish them. That was the main reason I called my people to a meeting and decided that we should be relocated to Shere- Galuwyi  because once we are there, we would be able to farm, eat well and also send our children to school without any headache,” he said. Auta added that some other villages were having mixed feelings about relocating to Shere- Galuwyi but as for Jabi Yakubu, they are set to leave.

“If government comes even today and says we should leave, we are ready because as  good citizens of Nigeria, we have to help our country grow and that is the reason we are accepting the resettlement programme by the FCT Administration to make way for development,’’ he said.

According to the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Engineer Umar Gambo Jubril  the relocation programme is very important to the FCT Administration,  adding that infrastructures are also being put in place for the new community.

“Infrastructures include all the network of roads, electricity, water supply, health care centres, schools and other basic amenities and all of these are in process,” he said.

He said the 2275 houses are all ready for its inhabitants and others among them that need renovations will also be looked into adding that in few weeks to come, the houses will be handed over to the people.

Also the FCT Director of the Resettlement programme Malam Babakura Umar said that Jabi Yakubu community will be the first to be relocated because they needed an urgent attention as development has caught up with the community, the main reason the minister ordered for their quick relocation to Shere-Galuwyi.