By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
FCT Minister Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello has said that the FCTA will work closely with the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the operations of housing estate developers in the FCT to sanitize the Estate Development sub- sector in the nation’s capital.
Bello made this known when he received members of the Committee led by its Chairman, Hon. Blessing Onuh to the FCTA.
To kick start the minister assigned Assistant Directors from the Departments of Land Administration, Resettlement and Compensation, Mass Housing, Survey and Mapping, Development Control, Urban and Regional Planning, Legal Secretariat and the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) to work closely with the Committee to meet the mutually desired goals of the FCTA and the House of Representatives.
Also he noted the need to re-align mass housing policy in the FCTA to meet the needs of residents of the FCT, adding that the private estate development has not functioned the way it was intended,
The Minister said, “We allocated land and we have the responsibility to make sure that developments are done according to regulations established. But the reality is that it has not worked like that.”
The reality is that going round the city, especially in the fringes and parts of phases 3 and 4, you will see massive estates built under the concept of “mass” (housing), but they are all empty. Absolutely empty. No off-takers, no tenants and these structures become security challenges, he said.
“You will see beautiful mansions but no access roads, well-built estates, but the designs on paper are different from what you see on the ground, the quality of road, that was meant to be constructed there, the drainages the layouts are different from what you see on the plans.”
The Minister noted that estates are expected to have green areas, community social centers, places for recreation, for sports and worship because it is meant to be a Community.
He decried instances where frictions arose between off-takers and the developers often due to non-disclosure of hidden charges that often frustrated off-takers who could neither sell their house or vacate them.
The challenges, the Minister said were high influx of population in FCT and low standard performance checks.
He disclosed that the FCTA was working with the Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria (REDAN) and the relevant security agencies because it has come to the realization of the authorities that some of the estates also served as a means of money laundering where the basic concepts of KYC (Know Your Customers) have been jettisoned.
Meanwhile the minister said that the challenges are surmountable with the support of the legislature and the judicial system, adding that the FCTA will strengthen its own institutions with better staff and equipment while individuals who fail to do what they are supposed to do would be sanctioned.
Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee, Hon Blessing Onuh disclosed that the House of Representatives constituted a committee to investigate the operations of real estate developers in the FCT.
Onu disclosed the mandate of the Committee as liaising with the relevant agencies of the FCTA, prosecute estate developers in cases of fraud.
She called on members of the public to lodge their complaint where they will have the opportunity to interface with developers in solving them.
She said, “there is the need for us to sanitize the sector and in sanitizing it, it has to be a joint force. You have the guidelines and the policies and all it takes is for us to do the right thing.”
