As the Federal Capital Territory Administration continues to grapple with the challenge of resettling the indigenous Abuja people, the FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has said that the administration requires over N150 bn for its resettlement and compensation scheme.
Senator Mohammed disclosed this in Lagos when he visited the Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) at the Lagos Government House, Alausa, Lagos.
He said the visit was to seek partnership from the Lagos state government to share experiences on metropolitan management.
The minister noted that the two sister-city relation had become necessary to share experiences on the metropolitan management of Lagos and Abuja for the mutual benefit of all concerned.
Senator Mohammed further stated that despite the financial challenge it was faced with in the resettlement and compensation of the natives, the administration was already exploring public private partnership to bring infrastructure to the new districts it was opening up, citing the case of Katampe.
He also called for private sector investment in public transportation in Abuja, noting that about 90 per cent of Abuja’s working class lived outside the city. He added that the investment would no doubt yield immediate returns.
Stating that the Abuja Master Plan was still on course, the minister, however, lamented that the FCT administration was being challenged by the influx of people into the city because the opportunities that abound in Abuja. He also said that Abuja needed to take a cue from Lagos, where the government had devised methods of turning their problems to opportunities.
Responding, Fashola commended the minister for his efforts so far in the development of Abuja, saying that even in Lagos, a lot more still needed to be done.
He remarked that the state was still facing the problems of rural-urban drift and welcomed Abuja onboard, saying that he had also learnt and adopted a lot of things implemented in the state from Abuja, especially street signage and the cleaning and greening programmes.
Fashola further advocated for a special status for Lagos state, saying the state should be assisted to maintain the federal infrastructure left behind in the state.
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