FCTA committed to Idu industrial estate project – Minister

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has assured that the on-going Idu Industrial Estate infrastructure project will be completed to boost economic activities in the FCT and create much needed employment opportunities for the teeming residents.

The Minister, who gave these assurance in Abuja on Monday when he paid a visit to the estate, said the administration is working out arrangements to see how the financial and other challenges faced by the contractors at the construction site can be surmounted to ensure its speedy completion.

Bello while explaining that the Estate falls in line with the projects that the FCT Administration has resolved to give priority due to the great bearing it has on the largest number of people in the FCT, said many Nigerian companies – over a hundred of them have been fully mobilised and are working daily at the estate providing jobs and generating economic activities.

He said: “The purpose of this visit today is to see how we can quickly complete the remaining infrastructure work here in line with the administration’s desire to complete all on-going massive infrastructure projects that will have great bearing to the largest number of people and I’m very happy with what I’ve seen.

The project had suffered funding setbacks over the last four years, which is understandable. But we are working out arrangements to see how these challenges can be surmounted”.

The Idu Industrial Estate is the largest Estate in Abuja, which has been under construction infrastructure-wise for quite some time. But as you can see, substantial work has been done. I understand the infrastructure already done here is over 70 per cent completed,” Bello added.

The FCT Minister, however, advised residents who put up illegal settlements around the estate to start making arrangements to leave the area, in order to pave way for infrastructure development.

Bello, who noted that the illegal settlement sprang up later after the project had commenced, due to the demand for labour at the construction site, said they have been informed that they would need to leave for work to continue.

His words: “Obviously, this village and any other villages within the Abuja area, once development reaches that village, it has to move. That is something that is well known, accepted by law, accepted by convention and accepted by all the citizens of the FCT because we all agree that this is going to be the centre of unity. We are developing this place for office, for residences, for markets, for industrial parks like this one.

The FCT Minister also appealed to those who have allocations in the areas that have been fully serviced with infrastructure in the Estate to quickly commence development of these plots or risk losing them.

I want to use the medium of this visit to appeal to those who already have plots here that have been allocated for which infrastructure has already reached their plot, to quickly come and commence development or else we will apply all the rules and regulations regarding the allocations given to them.

The beauty of allocations is that there are terms and conditions and so many companies, both local and foreign, have contacted us seeking for land to develop and as an administration, each new factory that is opened here is a blessing to all of us because it brings in needed employment and economic activity,” Bello stated.

The Idu Industrial Estate is designed to accommodate about 222 plots of industrial land. Available statistics show that out of this number, 84 plots have been fully developed, 34 on-going while owners of the remaining 104 plots are yet to commence development.