Mustapha Shehu
14 October 2008
Abuja — Movement of inhabitants of 28 indigenous villages of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the 877-unit Apo Resettlement Site will commence at the end of next month.
This was disclosed yesterday by the Minister of State, FCT, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, during an unscheduled visit to the site.
Akpanudoedehe noted that work is progressing as planned, and commended some of the contractors for sticking to deadlines, despite the financial challenges. He however expressed dissatisfaction at the slow pace of work by other contractors and promised continued funding for timely completion of infrastructure at the site.
"This is an unscheduled visit to see for ourselves what the Department of Resettlement and Compensation has told us at our weekly operational meetings. As you can attest, there is visible progress in the area of roads, water and electrical works. More roads have been opened, even if they have not been asphalted.High-tension cables are in place and the poles you see all over the place are for house-to-house connection. As soon as this is done, movement will commence, because we already have a water point for the resettlement site, pending when the FCT Water Board connects the entire town,"Akpanudoedehe said, .
He warned those who have illegally occupied some of the houses on the site not to vandalise them, and ordered them to leave immediately. "It will be in their interest to vacate the houses forthwith because the FCT Administration has invested billions of naira to put up those houses. At the next FCT Executive committee meeting, I will raise the issue so we can send law enforcement agents to remove any one illegally occupying the houses," he said.
He also disclosed that construction of the resettlement houses has reached 90 percent completion while harmonisation of the list of those to be resettled at the site has been concluded.
"Harmonisation of the list of resettlers that would move to the site has been concluded and temporary letters of allocation will be issued. The final phase of works for the provision of water and electricity to the site in order for movement to commence has started, and as some of you know, earth roads have been provided on the site with the procurement exercise for the tarring of the roads expected to come before the end of the year.", he said
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