Obasanjo, Jonathan under probe over Abuja master plan

Senate may sanction El-Rufai, Aliero, Modibo for illegal plots’ allocation
ALL previous administrations since 1999 are being investigated by the Senate with a view to ascertaining how much they allegedly violated the Abuja master plan. These previous administrations were led by former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.

The Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) led by Dino Melaye spoke on the matter at the National Assembly yesterday. He said the committee would not exempt any former president or minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from the investigation.

The committee had last week alleged that some highly placed persons including former presidents were allocated plots of land in a part of Abuja reserved as green area in the city’s master plan.

The Justice Akinola Aguda panel that recommended Abuja as the Federal Capital had made provisions for some areas to be reserved for purposes of greening the city and as tourist attractions.

It has, however, been discovered that the Maitama Hills area was part of the greenland granted to private developers in the land swap initiative by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

The land swap policy initiated by the immediate past FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, involved the granting of greenfield lands to competent real estate developers who will in turn provide infrastructure such as roads, electricity, potable water, drainages, and sewer lines, communication dots to residents without any financial or technical demand on the government.

The policy is expected to attract huge revenue from banks in and outside the country and also generate over one million jobs for the teeming unemployed Nigerians.

The policy is said to have been adopted in countries like France, Japan, United States, China, Germany, Egypt, India and Denmark during periods of rapid urban development as is currently being experienced in Abuja.

The policy was also said to have been endorsed by the World Bank as suitable for any country experiencing budget crisis like Nigeria.

But according to Melaye, former ministers who held office since 1999, and are expected to be probed by the committee include those who served during the administrations of Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan. The ministers are: Ibrahim Bunu, Mohammed Abba Gana, Nasir El-Rufai, Aliyu Moddibo, Adamu Aliero and Bala Mohammed.

By law, the president is the governor-general of FCT who appoints a minister who administers the city on his behalf.

During his briefing yesterday, Melaye categorically stated: “With this administration of change, it is no longer going to be business as usual. Permit me to remind FCT administration again, by stating that this committee will not hesitate to ensure that all administrative anomalies, misappropriation of funds or misapplication of laws as the case may be, that were occasioned by the past administrations of FCT, are fully addressed. This is what justice demands in these circumstances; to right the wrongs.”

While condemning the alleged abuse of the Abuja master plan, Melaye wondered why former FCT ministers allocated green areas designed for flood drains, city buffers, recreations, urban farming, reserved areas for residential buildings.

“Therefore, the committee is worried and frowns on satanic and misleading advice and recommendation to convert very important and beautiful natural endowments or features which are very scanty like the world acclaimed Maitama Hills, popularly known as Ministers’ Hills, which could serve as a tourist attraction to residents of FCT.

“I want to state here again that if the bourgeoisie of this country need a special allocation, a new district can be dedicated to them and not to destroy the beauty of the city centre, a national monument like the Maitama Hills. Therefore, the committee’s decision on these allocations remains unwavering.

“A stop-work order must be served by the Department of Development Control and all trees removed must be replaced. The committee demands that 100 per cent of its instructions must be adhered to,” Melaye further noted.