To many, it came like a huge shock. But to political jobbers and
folks who patiently kept vigil and wanted the long grip of Katsina mafia
cut off from the seat of power, it was an appointment well deserved.Protests were staged. Original inhabitants wailed, but the then darling of the nation, President Goodluck Jonathan did not give a damn. Lovers of lofty and modest feats recorded by Kaduna-born technocrat, Nasir El-Rufai wept. Still, the man at the top ignored every plea and insisted on Senator Bala Mohammed’s appointment.
That was in April 2010, following a motion he sponsored on the floor of the Senate when the country was held hostage. His motion, many believed, eventually birthed the infamous Doctrine of Necessity which eventually crushed the reign of Katsina mafia.
Consumed by Senator Mohammed’s act of bravery in the midst of deafening opposition to his ascension to the throne, the president saddled the Bauchi-born journalist and politician with the responsibility of managing one of the most complex agencies of the federal government, the FCT. Although many observers were quick to dismiss his five years in office as total waste, it is however, important to acknowledge some of the modest achievements recorded by the FCT administration during his tenure.
Indeed, some policies and decisions were assumed to have been made in bad faith. Like the land swap, park-n-pay, return of street urchins and beggars, indiscriminate movement of dangerous animals by Fulani herdsmen, land racketeering, alleged high scale corruption, skewed appointments into agencies in the FCT in favour of a section of the country, inability to curb biting housing rent and abandonment of satellite towns and villages, return of criminals to the territory, vindictive action against perceived political foes, among several others.
Conversely, Senator Mohammed salvaged the chaotic transport mess in the territory. He completed two major roads and never tampered with allocations meant for Area Councils. His fans and admirers quickly remind Senator Mohammed’s critics of the modest successes recorded in some critical sectors in the territory. Mohammed took over as minister of the FCT during difficult and challenging times, and those that belong to his camp always remind his critics of this.
Land Swap:
The controversial land swap model nurtured and executed by Mohammed would have solved the many years of land racketeering in the FCT. Sadly, many people believe the scheme further promoted the mess and only made few cronies of government rich at the detriment of the residents and original inhabitants. The idea which was conceived in 2012 was expected to generate over N300bn revenue from 13 investors that signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the land-swap programme. Mohammed signed an MoU in Abuja with the investors who were expected to open up eight new districts in the FCT.
According to the minister, the initiative would expand the infrastructure of the federal capital city. He explained that each of the investors paid N350 million to the FCT administration as fees for survey maps, detailed land use plan, engineering design, demographic reports, legal documentation and other ancillary services to qualify.
Mohammed had said: “With this landmark event, the FCT administration bids farewell to land fraud and racketeering as this pioneering initiative takes-off.”
He had explained that the investors had technical partners in Europe and the US and proved that they had the capacity to pull through the arrangement. In December 2012, the 13 shortlisted companies smiled home with enormous plots of land in highbrow areas of the territory. Almost three years after the event, the FCT administration has kept mum on progress made so far by companies and challenges recorded as well. Contrary to promises made by the FCT Minister that some of the districts will be completed during his tenure in office, none has however kick-started.
Similarly, the assurance by the FCT Minister that over N300b will be realised from the scheme has hit a cul de sac. The initiative has received knocks from Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA). The body resisted attempts by Senator Mohammed to commercialize lands in the FCT.
“Why is the FCT administration taking some misguided indigenous youths to visit Mr. President, buying Hilux vans and giving millions of naira to them to share to poor villagers if not because they want to cajole our people into rubber-stamping the land swap policy,” president of the group, Danladi Jeji had remarked.
OIDA flayed the FCT administration for not building more hospitals, opening more access roads or building more educational facilities in the FCT, but instead focused its energies on land sharing and commercialization of the FCT, contrary to the recommendations of the Aguda panel report/Abuja Masterplan that FCT should be a purely administrative capital.post by expdonaloaded.blogspot.com..It had stated: “Instead of engaging in a contest of ideas through genuine dialogue free from Machiavellian tactics, the FCT administration has rather chosen to force the Land swap policy on our people using divide and rule ploys that will help no one. But the discerning Abuja natives at an OIDA congress meeting renewed the mandate given to the association to withdraw from the Ministerial Committee on the Implementation of FCT Land-swap Program and Resettlement Matters set up by the Minister until such a time that their demand for a 30 per cent sharing ratio for the affected communities to be held in a Community Trust Fund is accepted and implemented by FCTA and investors.”
Park-n-Pay policy
The now rested park-n-pay policy of FCT might have been quashed, but FCT residents who were cheated of their monies during the implementation have not forgotten. When the scheme was introduced in 2012, just like the fraud-ridden land swap, residents and motorists in the city expressed some relief, hoping it will stop indiscriminate parking of cars in Abuja. But the opposite soon became the case.
Trouble started when motorists and residents of the city realized that the bidding process through which operators were selected was skewed to favour some aides of President Jonathan and cronies of Senator Mohammed. Soon after, motorists and operators of the scheme started engaging in fisticuffs over exorbitant charges and clamping of vehicles without prior notices. Police stations in the city were regularly besieged by aggrieved motorists, still the FCT administration kept mum.
Soon after, curious residents and journalists started probing to unveil how much money was realised from the scheme monthly. Again, the FCT kept every fact of it under lid. Independent findings eventually revealed that over N2 billion was realized from the scheme during the period it was operated. It was further gathered that the sharing arrangement was like that of a servant and his master. While the private agencies kept over 80 per cent to themselves, FCT only got about 20 per cent of the loot. It eventually took the intervention of angered residents who approached the court to stop the scheme.
Land racketeering
Since the days of Mohammed as FCT Minister, many residents and natives believe that land racketeering has taken a worse turn. The land racketeers do not hide or ply their trade secretly; they frather carry on with the full knowledge of the administration as if they have their blessing. As early as 7am every working day, the land scammers gather directly opposite the main entrance gate to FCT headquarters. It is now dangerous business to innocently walk through that ambushed lane with a file. The thugs who will stop at nothing to grab intending land sellers sometimes engage in fisticuffs. Ironically, they ply their trade under the watchful eyes of a combined team of security agents. Sometimes, the FCT Minister drives through and looks the other way. Everyday, membership of these illegal land racketeers swells and innocent residents are scammed to pay huge sums to purchase non-existent lands.
Even top officials of FCT administration are not exempted from the land deals as many believe they operate indirectly through the land speculators. While the identities of many have been unravelled, several others still ply their trade unhindered.
Recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned two senior officials of FCT over land scam. They are Muhammed Yau Gital, former Chief of Staff to Senator Mohammed and Sani Abba, Deputy Director, Mass Housing at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). The two are expected to be docked soon before a High Court of the FCT, Jabi for offences bordering on criminal breach of trust, obtaining by false pretence and abuse of office.
Gital and Abba allegedly conspired and defrauded one Chief Duru Mike Ejiogu, Managing Director of Visioni and Strauss Nigeria Limited of N60 million meant to be used to facilitate the change of Land Use in respect of Plot No: 523, Cadastral Zone BOO Kukwaba District from Passive Recreation to Residential. This is just one out of many underreported land frauds perpetuated under the 5-year tenure of Senator Mohammed.
Area Councils
FCT is administered like a state. It is accorded the same respect and privileges given to a state. The FCT Minister who is regarded as a state governor has all the paraphernalia of office just like the 36 state governors. He enjoys security votes and presides over weekly council meetings. Like in the states, FCT administration is expected to supervise activities in the six Area Councils of the territory. But in the case of FCT, the supervision of area councils since Mohammed and his counterpart, Olajumoke Akinjide, the Minister of State assumed office, that aspect has been completely neglected.
Area council chairmen rest assured that they can flout the rules and get away with it, and therefore accused of not taking the development of their areas seriously. The supervision of the area councils falls under the purview of the Minister of State. But since her appointment in 2011, Akinjide has not conducted any supervision of projects executed by area councils in almost four years. No Area Council chairman has faced any sanctions even with complaints from the people of the councils.
Appointments:
Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution provides that: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies.” Ironically, the FCT administration under Senator Mohammed has not observed the Federal Character rule.
According to records made available to Abuja Metro, more than 70 per cent of the directors, secretaries and heads of various agencies of FCT are from the north, while the south is left to grapple with the remaining 30 per cent. Series of complaints have been raised by critics who argue that appointments do not promote unity and national cohesion. Recruitment and promotions are also believed to be tilted in favour of the north. To his discredit, Senator Mohammed did not correct this anomaly during his five years.
Satellite towns and villages
More than 60 per cent of FCT residents live in satellite towns, suburbs and villages. During the day, they work in the city centre and return to their aboard thereafter. Meanwhile, these residents are subjected to all forms of hardship, from bad roads to poor infrastructure, poor electricity to lack of water fit for domestic use.
During Mohammed’s tenure, more than 80 per cent of the projects were sited in the city centre that accommodates less than 40 per cent of the residents.
Although successive governments in the territory performed poorly in the development of satellite towns, it appears the outgoing FCT administration completely ignored the suburbs. At the very last moment, the FCT has flooded the satellite towns with traffic lights in places where they are not needed, thereby causing unnecessary gridlock.
Transport sector
Prior to his appointment as FCT minister, the transport sector in Abuja and the adjoining towns and villages was in a mess. His Midas touch has transformed that sector. Today, FCT stands tall in passable intra city transportation. In 2012/2013, he gathered enough political will and went after mini buses and other vehicles defacing the city and causing undue traffic gridlock. To his credit, he was able to clean the sector. He procured hundreds of high capacity buses and brand new taxis. Mini buses were restricted to the hinterlands.
Today, the traffic situation in Abuja has been reduced to its barest minimum. More bus stops have been built. Some form of sanity and order has been restored to the transport sector in the territory. That is not all. The ongoing monorail spearheaded by the Federal Government through the FCT administration has reached an advanced stage. It is very likely that it might be completed before the end of the year if the incoming government buys into the project.
The expansive Lugbe-Airport and Kubwa roads have reached 98 per cent completion. In the face of dwindling revenues, the FCT Minister was able to secure the needed funds and mobilised engineers to ensure the completion of the roads.
Area Councils’ Allocation
Interestingly, the FCT Minister has lived above board and has never tampered with monies meant for the six area councils. They get their allocations in full and at the right time.
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