Re: Senate unveils anomalies in FCT Land Swap

Our attention has been drawn to a publication in respect of the above-mentioned subject on page 34 of your newspaper dated 8th February 2016, purporting to be the reportage of the meeting between the FCT Administration and the Senate Committee on FCT held on Tuesday, 2nd February 2016 on the FCT Land Swap Scheme. We […]

Our attention has been drawn to a publication in respect of the above-mentioned subject on page 34 of your newspaper dated 8th February 2016, purporting to be the reportage of the meeting between the FCT Administration and the Senate Committee on FCT held on Tuesday, 2nd February 2016 on the FCT Land Swap Scheme.
We deemed the report lopsided, unfair to us and capable of giving the impression that the programme was characterized by illegalities, misapplication of public funds and breaches of extant regulations. The paper did not report our responses, both written and oral, to the obvious mindset of the Committee’s Chairman and other members.
Consequently and as a public servant, it became imperative for us to set the records straight as we consider our integrity, which we have labored to protect over the years, sacrosanct and of utmost importance.
We submitted to the Committee a Comprehensive Report of the Land Swap Scheme, an analysis of the Legal Agreement executed with the Land Swap investors and a total of 23 Appendices. We told the Senate Committee, on oath, that the sum total of our submission is as follows:
That the implementation of the Land Swap programme is on course and within the timeframe stipulated in the Agreement executed with the Investors;
That as at date, the FCT Administration did not allocate a single hectare of land to any investor;
That we did not use any public funds in the implementation of the programme as the scheme was structured to be 100% funded by the Private sector; and
·That we have engaged the original inhabitants at the highest level in the conceptualization of the programme.
That we are disappointed with the Daily Trust Newspaper and in particular its correspondent, Ben Atonko, for mischievously pretending ignorance on the Land Swap scheme in view of the fact that we have, from day one, made available to them all relevant documents and invited him to all functions on the Scheme including the latest function, a formal Bid Opening by one of the Investors for the selection of its Construction Contractor.
For the avoidance of doubt, we shall state for the umpteenth time that:
The requisite N350 million required of investors was not paid into the FCT Accounts or any of its agencies. The money was paid by investors into their respective project accounts, opened by them, solely controlled by them and of which they are the sole signatories;
·The Survey, Land Use plan and the Engineering design produced by the Land Swap investors were strictly in line with the Abuja master plan and the Specifications for District infrastructure works of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA);
·The Abuja Infrastructure Investment Centre (AIIC) and all the technical departments of the FCTA worked hard, sincerely, honestly, transparently, within extant regulations and to the best of our abilities to conceptualize, promote, facilitate and implement the Land Swap programme; and
·The programme can only succeed in an atmosphere of certainty, support and devoid of unnecessary sensationalism that could scare away multitude of foreign investors that have indicated interests in particular aspects of the scheme, notably infrastructure construction, real property development, equipment supply, project funding, etc.
In conclusion, we advised the Newspaper and all persons who are entrusted with authority to be more circumspect and investigative as their actions, inactions or insinuations could damage peoples’ hard earned integrity.
While we are always available for any further clarification on the Land Swap Scheme, it is our hope that you will give this rejoinder equal publicity.
Faruk Sani, is the Coordinator, Abuja Infrastructure Investment Centre (AIIC), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)