Abuja Land Swap and the Verdict of History

It was our elders who held the view that nobody, no matter how powerful, could kill an idea that the time has come. Anyone who is familiar with contemporary Nigerian history will not fail to acknowledge that the revival of the Abuja Land Swap project possesses all the trappings of a good idea tearing down all the political obstacles strewn on its part by mischief makers.

It is indeed gratifying that the project has been resuscitated and now being implemented by the current Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), under Malam Mohammed Bello. The truth will always prevail as predicted by our elders and this is what is happening.

The Land Swap deal was really a very good idea planned and nourished by a former minister of the FCT Senator Bala Mohammed, who is now the Executive Governor of Bauchi State. He came up with this idea in the middle of his tenure of office and left the FCTA with the hope that it would be implemented as planned by his team.

However, after his exit, some people who are definitely not having good intentions for the FCT tried to kill this good idea by bringing a lot of issues around it. But they failed in their attempt to kill it because the Federal Executive Council has now fully revived the idea and it is now being implemented by the current FCT Admin headed by Malam Mohammed Bello.

I recall when Bala and his team including the person in charge of the land swap administration, Barr. Ibrahim were sweating it out between 2014 and 2015 in Abuja trying to see how best the policy could take off successfully. Indeed, it took off as many investors both foreign and local showed interest in the scheme and actively participated in it until Bala Mohammed left FCTA.
It has now come back with a bang just like how the former had planned it and tried his best to implement it for the good of all. The ill luck that befell the project has now gone away.

The Land Swap idea was conceptualized by the FCT Administration, under Bala Mohammed, specifically to fast-track the development of the FCT through a Public Private Partnership between private investors and the FCT Administration. This will involve the provision of modern infrastructural facilities in areas allocated to them by the FCT for the purpose of developing the city. Under the project the investors would be allowed certain percentage of the land where the infrastructure has been provided while the FCT will be the owner of the remaining portion of such developed areas.

To appreciate the reality of this volte face by the Federal Government, it needs be stated that while persecuting Bala Mohammed over the Land Swap matter, the Government had conveniently ignored the main reason for adopting the model. The Goodluck Jonathan Administration, faced with the paucity of funds, the pressure on living space in the city, and desperate to transform the FCT into a showpiece of modernity, had no difficulty whatsoever embracing the Land Swap Model which provided not only financial relief but polled together the expertise of a consortium of globally acclaimed players.

Let us look at some of the participants: Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; until not long ago, the richest black women in the world, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija; the Rose Hill Group, etc. it goes without saying that if all these distinguished Nigerians were involved in a sleaze of the proportion espoused by the EFCC, the country would have collapsed by now. But here we are. After demonising the former FCT minister and his team, after portraying that group of conscientious public servants as leeches and scoundrels, the Federal Government has literally returned to its vomit. The rationalisation that the necessary legal framework has been perfected does not exculpate anyone of petty chicanery; if anything does, it is perhaps the courage to redeem the truth and rescue a very good project that was thrown away in a morbid pursuit of vengeance. This should never happen again.
With the revival of the Land Swap deal by the Federal Executive Council and the decision of the Mohammed Bello Administration to fully implement this laudable idea, Abuja city will now witness tremendous development with abundant opportunities for employment for our restive youths. It will also serve as a great incentive for foreign investors who want to take advantage to boost their businesses in the nation’s capital city.
Like I said earlier, such a great idea like the Land Swap deal initiated by the Bala Mohammed FCT Administration cannot be killed by any group of people. It is a project that will not only push Abuja forward but will make this country an economic impetus among its peers if it is properly implemented as envisaged.
It could therefore be safely stated here that whether we like it or not one of Bala Mohammed’s legacies, at the FCTA, has taken root for the benefit of not only FCT residents but the whole country. With what has happened now it could summed up that Bala Mohammed and his team have been vindicated.