Re-What is land swap?

I read your piece on Land Swap in your regular column Eye On Abuja. As usual, the article was incisive and exhibited much passion and interest for the effective development of the federal capital city. I must observe that your love and passion for Abuja is legion.The nomenclature Land Swap is a short name adopted […]

I read your piece on Land Swap in your regular column Eye On Abuja. As usual, the article was incisive and exhibited much passion and interest for the effective development of the federal capital city. I must observe that your love and passion for Abuja is legion.
The nomenclature Land Swap is a short name adopted for convenience only. The full and formal name given by the FCTA is Land-for-Infrastructure Swap Model. In conceptualizing the Land-for-Infrastructure Swap initiative, the FCTA took into consideration many and varied experiences from the Land Swaps in Connecticut (USA), Pudong (China), etc., the Land-based infrastructure funding in New York, India, Egypt, etc., to infrastructure contribution in the UK, Australia, etc. In addition, we sought the opinion of professionals, investors, technocrats and real property developers to ensure the workability of the initiative. The lack of understanding of the FCTA initiative is a more of a failure of communication than the wrong usage of nomenclature.
While we agree that what the FCTA is doing is to leverage on its land resource as for infrastructure provision and funding, I assure you that the Hon. Minister of the FCT has put in sufficient safeguards to ensure that Abuja is a fertile ground for the success of its model. The Hon. Minister is sincere on this project, means well for the city and is open to new ideas to make the implementation of the initiative effective. On this, we invite you as a respected professional to assist us in embellishing the model so that the FCTA’s mistakes of collaborating with the private sector in the past are not repeated.
I thank you for your observations and criticisms, which can only arise due to your passion for the capital city.
Faruk Sani, Coordinator, Abuja Infrastructure Investment Centre
 
My reply
Dear Faruk,
I must first start by expressing my profound gratitude for this cordial response. I very much agree with you that as stakeholders in the capital city development there should be cross fertilization of ideas while confronting whatever challenges we use to encounter. Even if we do not agree we should at least respect our individual views. Mode of approach to making observations as we do in this column may at times not be pleasing to those in authority. But it should not be viewed as antagonism.
Over the years, we witness many FCT Administrations that came with their proposals and innovations. None of them would introduce a program that would not be aiming at success. We believe that the acceptability of the program with the original concept of the city development and the prevailing climate of operation must be taken into account. We are also mindful of the fact that as public institution, we also share the benefits of your success. At the same time the pains of your failure if there is any, ripples far and wide.
It is not because we do not understand the Land Value for Urban Infrastructure Model that is branded as the Land Swap. But it has inherent challenges of intolerance to corruption. The major point of consideration here is the high level of intolerance to corruption in those countries you mentioned, where the model succeeds. With what obtains here we are poles apart.
As for the rate of provision of infrastructure per square meter we wrote extensively in our article entitled “Increased Land Fees in Abuja without Infrastructure I, II and III” of 22nd and 29th July, and 19th August 2009. I am happy to have honoured your invitation, and have really appreciated your successes and challenges. We are always available for further consultations in order make the city a better place.   
My passion and interest for effective development of Abuja is partly due to the fact that as an indigene of the original Abuja prior to the advent of the FCT, Abuja is my first home. Secondly, while I was in the FCDA as a Town Planner, I worked directly under the pioneer staff that commenced the development of the city from inception. We therefore have the first hand knowledge of the working of the Abuja Master Plan. If there is any distortion in the Abuja project, the pains people like us feel is very severe.