Abuja – The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) said on Monday that it would soon take physical possession of the 350 hectares of land allocated to it by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
Mr Tunde Ipinmisho, the Head of Corporate Communications of FHA, stated this in a ststement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Ipinmisho said that the land was allocated to FHA for housing development in the Bwari Area Council in 2013, adding that some some farmers in Niger State had encroached on the land.
He, however, said that respite came for FHA following the intervention of the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Muhammadu Ibrahim, who gave an assurance that there would be no further hindrance from the locals.
He said that the resolution was reached at a tripartite meeting between the Suleja Emirate Council, FHA management and the District Head of the affected area at the Emir’s palace in Suleja.
Ipinmisho said the intervention of the Emir had put a final stop to the encroachment and obstruction of work on the land.
He quoted Prof. Mohammed Al-Amin, FHA Managing Director, as saying that the authority would soon begin preliminary survey of the area following the latest development.
“Our staff attempted to carry out preliminary survey ahead of the preparation for the layout designs for the proposed housing projects; they were chased away by the farmers who were farming on the land.
“At previous meetings to resolve the impasse, the farmers demanded for farmlands commensurate with the site taken by the FHA.
“They also asked that four per cent of the entire project be ceded to them on completion,’’ Al-Amin was quoted as saying.
Ipinmosho said that during the meeting, the Emir also said that the Suleja Emirate Council had been trying to resolve the issue and blamed the problem on the inability of the government to clearly define the boundary between the FCT and Niger State.
The Emir said that the indigenes were not satisfied with the practice of paying them compensation based on economic trees because it was not enough to enable them to settle elsewhere.
“Integrating the people into the new communities was fraught with new challenges as they will not be able to cope with the economic realities of the emerging urban structure’’, the emir said.
The Emir, however, gave the go-ahead for FHA to commence preliminary survey in the area with an assurance that the farmers would no longer pose any problems FHA officials.(NAN)