Land Swap: Gwagwa community to receive N300 million
The FCT Administration (FCTA) said its pilot phase of the Land Swap, designed to address infrastructure deficit in the territory, had begun with the payment of compensation for economic trees and crops.
Felicia Okoro, spokesman for FCTA Department of Resettlement and Compensation, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.
According to Mr Okoro, the payment of compensation to the natives is a major part of measures to pave the way for commencement of work on the provision of engineering infrastructure to the first ‘Land Swap District’.
The pilot phase of the land swap initiative is designed to remedy the infrastructure deficit in the territory. The initiative began with payment of compensation for economic trees and crops in Gwagwa District by Gwagwa Concession Ltd. in Abuja.
The developer inaugurated the first phase of payment of about N300 million out of the estimated N1.5 billion to the natives and residents of Gwagwa community.
“By this action, the developer showed capacity and readiness to move to site years after the programme was conceived,” noted Mr Okoro.
FCDA executive secretary Shehu Ahmad further stated, “Now, the community and FCT residents will know that the FCT Administration is very prepared to go on and with an experienced investor that has shown great level of commitment to the land swap programme as a pilot scheme.”
He added, “The authority is excited about the development and believe that upon completion, the scheme will usher in the much desired infrastructure growth and accelerated development in partnership with the private sector.”
He described it as a big relief to the federal government which “could no longer fund infrastructure development through budgetary provision due to paucity of funds and other competitive demands.”
The director of the Department of Resettlement and Compensation, Perpetua Ohammah, explained that two cheques were presented to each beneficiary.
Ishaku Batagarawa, the Operations, Resettlement and Compensation manager of Gwagwa Concession Ltd., assured the FCTA and communities of their commitment to the “life-changing projects.”
(NAN)
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