Nigeria Content Online

A
broad resettlement scheme to provide schools, housing and major
facilities for the native communities of Abuja, requires over N100
billion, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed,
said yesterday.

The minister said,
on Thursday, that several efforts at resettling the indigenous
populations of the federal capital, who have been displaced for years,
have failed due to lack of funds and enabling legislations that could
help the administration raise cash independently. He spoke at a House
of Representatives hearing on a new bill that will, if passed, help
strengthen the capacity of the FCTA to source funds from new property
taxes and levies. Mr. Mohammed said such proceeds, if made possible
through the bill presently considered by the House committee on FCT,
will be ploughed into completing a vast resettlement process for the
indigenous people displaced from the federal capital territory, which
has only gulped N25 bn since the inception of the FCTA.

Revenue possibilities

“Given the
opportunity we would now establish the required legal instruments so
that we can be collecting taxes and levies and we will be able to be
self reliant, but we don’t have the legal instrument,” he said. “FCT
can generate N500 billion yearly if given the opportunity and the
required legal instrument to collect levies such as tenement rate,
ground rate and advertisement rate among others. This amount may look
enormous but we can generate it if given the opportunity like other
states in the country.” The FCT administration requested for N15
billion for the major projects for the native dwellers in 2009, the
minister said, but received only N4 billion in last year’s budget. The
administration requires extra N15 billion this year to conclude some of
the ongoing resettlement projects begun by the previous administrations
in Abuja, he added.

In the past weeks, the indigenous populations and other Nigerians,
who have endured housing rents that grow at startling rates, have faced
more complex accommodation conditions after authorities restarted
destroying alleged illegal structures at some suburbs. At Lugbe area,
which is close to the city airport, a recent demolishing of homes
resulted in the deaths of five persons and the displacement of over
200,000 people over controversial residential location presently
contested in court. The FCT administration announced after the
incident, it will forge ahead with the demolitions but is only held
back by the legal action. Mr. Mohammed, who is a former senator, told
lawmakers he sympathises with the difficulties residents, particularly
the indigenous communities, face in Abuja.