By TPL Umar Shuaibu
Originally, Kubwa located along the Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX) was planned as a resettlement Town, for the resettlement of original indigenes who opted to be resettled within the FCT, rather than outside, and who were affected by the Abuja City Phase I development.
Because the concept and implementation of Kubwa as a resettlement town was not violated, the original inhabitants were successfully relocated. Thus plot developers in Phase I, never encountered any encumbrance on gaining access for the developments of their lands. Meanwhile, Abuja urban sprawl had since caught up with Kubwa. Instead of being a regional area, Kubwa is now viewed as an extension of the City, to the extent that the FCT Administration now extends lands allocations for the City development to Kubwa.
Similarly, a Resettlement Scheme also located along the ONEX at Jibi, which is adjacent to Kubwa, was meant and planned for the resettlement of the original indigenes presently in Phase II, and who chose to remain in the FCT.The scheme was designed to accommodate about 4,000 households. The villages includedJabi I & II, Kpaadna, Utako, Mabushi and others. Work began in 1999 and completed in 2002 and the affected villages were fully mobilized for the resettlement.
Unfortunately, the Government switched overnight to allocate the scheme to the Nigerian Police Force in the build up to the 2003 general election. The compensation received by the FCT Administration for that take-over was used to commence new resettlement schemes as replacement, at Shere/Galuwyi in Bwari and Wasa in Abuja Municipal Area Councils.
The Shere/Galuwyi and Wasa Resettlement Schemes are yet to be completed, 22 years after that switch. Jabi, Mabushi, Utako, Gudu and others are still yet to be resettled. Significant aspects of the challenges of encumbrances to developments being confronted by beneficiaries of plots allocation in the phase II would have been addressed if the Jibi resettlement scheme was not violated.
Most of the areas not occupied by their houses, were their ancestral farmlands.The original inhabitants resorted to planting cashew trees on the farmlands and using them as bargaining tools to negotiate with plot owners intending to commence development. Glaringly, the Authority became incapacitated in preventing them due to its failure to actualize their resettlements.
The resources already expended on theShereGaluyi, Wasa and Apo resettlement schemes, arestill not adequate for the completion of the essential complimentary facilities and utilities such as water and electricity, and logistics for the movement of the inhabitants, hence the village settlements still remained where they are.
These villages are now characterized by overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, chaotic traffic situations and lawlessness. Illegal squatter settlements were erected resulting into proliferation of shanties and slums. They become places of abode for criminal elements.Destitutes and beggars commute daily from these settlements and constitute challenges of begging and unplanned informal trading activities on the right of ways of transportation corridors in the daytime, and engage in vandalism of critical engineering Infrastructure at nights. They also constitute environmental pollution as well as repulsive aesthetics of the City environment.
Furthermore, these villages are expanding in size and spilling over to the adjoining transportation corridors and areas zoned as District Facilities/Utilities. In some Districts with such villages as Kagini and Gishiri, the village settlements are gradually enveloping the majority of the allocated Statutory Plots, this situation has made the taking over of such plot by original allotees for physical development purposes difficult.
In view of the disorderly nature of these resettlements, monitoring of physical developments and policing of unlawful activities have become difficult, this is exacerbated by the daily flow of unchecked movement into the city. Instances of molestation and intimidation of Monitoring Officers of the relevant Departments have also been reported severally.
Evidence from several security reports and unscheduled visit to these village settlements clearly revealed that, the bulk of the nuisances perpetrated in the city emanate from these village settlements as seen in the high number of perpetrators of social vices resident in the area, and the prevalence of the use of banned motorcycles, and unregistered vehicles in the area. The implication of this dire situation on the overall management capacity of the FCTA cannot be over emphasized
Exactly 3 years ago, huge resources running up to 100 Billion Naira was estimated by the FCT Administration as the requirement to ensure the timely completion of the resettlement projects for resettling all village settlements within the FCC to designated resettlement sites, to free the FCC of all the highlighted implications. While also ensuring that the resettled communities live in a community with improved standard of living beyond the pre-resettlement situation.
The aforementioned estimated value will be at least 3 fold today, due to the tumbling value of the Naira.There is the need for the Federal Government to approve a high impact intervention funding to ensure the completion of these projects.A stitch in time saves nine.
