FCT: Leaving Legacy of Transformation
By Abdul Jelil Adebayo
There is always an end to every situation. An entry and exit points. Every beginning has an end and what matters most is how one ends.
The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, giving his scorecard is not really easy because there are many grounds that have been covered. Where to start from sometimes may appear tasking. He has every reason to say, “he came, he saw and has conquered”
This is because he is leaving Abuja better than he met it. There have been great transformation in every segments of the Federal Capital Territory. He is the silent water that runs deep.
For the past eight years, Bello has been turning the landscape of Abuja for good, thereby leaving a legacy that the incoming Minister might build upon.
In the education sector for instance, Bello has impacted positively on the FCT education sector within the period he held sway as Minister.
His Administration constructed 64 schools and renovated 165 and employed about 4,957 teaching staff and non-teaching staff.
The Secondary and Tertiary Education in the FCT also witnessed a monumental increase. New Secondary schools were built.
On the housing segment, a review of previous attempts at providing affordable housing has been completed, including pending relocation schemes which development could influence immediate implementation of affordable housing provision.
New policy framework has been prepared to guarantee the achievement of the set target of a minimum of 5000 units of affordable housing.
Layouts have been identified for affordable housing provision in all the 6 Area Councils.
Development plans have been prepared for the layouts. Prototype designs have been produced for housing types.
The FCT Administration in active collaboration with security agencies have been able to curtail the activities of those who tried to relocate to the territory from the various areas of operations arising from intensive crackdown in operation by the military.
Guzape II Cadastral Zone A11 is one of the newly created Residential Districts in the Southern Urban Fringes of the City as extension to the Diplomatic Area and to cater for additional residential areas.
The Provision of Engineering Infrastructure to Guzape II Cadastral Zone A11 District was awarded by this Administration and work is steadily progressing.
The Federal Secretariat Complex Phase I which accommodates various Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), its building was in a deplorable condition and the current Administration deemed it fit to carry out the rehabilitation works on it.
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The Abuja Water Master Plan provides for storage of water conveyed from Lower Usuma Dam to the Storage Reservoirs (Tanks 1 – 10) arranged along the periphery of the City and to be distributed through the Loops (Loops 1 – 10) to the various Districts in the City.
The Greater Abuja Water Supply Project is an initiative from the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) under a Loan Agreement.
The project involves construction of Loops 1, 2, 5 & 6 of the Abuja Water Master Plan to provide reticulation from the reservoirs to the respective Districts in Phases II & III of the FCC.
The N19bn Karshi water project is now at 60% completion stage. This project was initiated in 2013, contractors mobilised to site in 2015 but soon left until actual work resumed in 2019.
It is meant to ensure provision of potable water to Satellite towns when completed.
The Apo Estate Layout was conceptualized in line with the Federal Government Policy of resettling the indigenes of the villages affected by the development of the Federal Capital City (FCC).
The Contract for the Provision of Engineering Infrastructure to Jahi District is one of the District projects inherited by the current Administration with substantial progress recorded but with huge financial liabilities and some site challenges which slowed down the progress of work on site.
Guzape District is one of the Districts in the Southern Urban Fringes. The Contract for the Provision of Roads and Engineering Infrastructure for the New Layout and Diplomatic Area was awarded as Phase II of the On-Going Guzape Lot II District Project.
Wuye District is one of the Residential Districts in Phase II of the Federal Capital City. It has a total land area of about 411 hectares with expected population of about 40,000 inhabitants.
The contract for the Provision of Engineering Infrastructure to Wuye District is one of the district projects inherited by the current Administration.
There was also the need to provide the necessary Interchange Bridge linking Wuye and Wuse I District (Zone 7). Substantial progress has been achieved on the remaining aspect of the district infrastructure and works on the interchange bridge is in progress.
Not to talk on health, agriculture, transportation, sports and Area Councils, with these few cited areas, indeed Bello is the silent water that runs deep.
Not many gave him the benefit, but today looking through the window of success, Muhammad Musa Bello is leaving behind a landmark achievements that history will be fair and proud of him.
He has done his part and both residents and his principal are happy; and that is what matters at the exit point.
Abdul is an Abuja based journalist can be reached via [email protected]
