Despite the outcry that has greeted the increase in land premium and application charges by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), minister of the FCT, Senator Adamu Aliero has once more underscored the need for the increase, stressing that only the increase can bring a solution to housing problems in the territory.

Aliero stated this yesterday at the ground breaking/ foundation laying ceremony of the Godab estate, in Kafe district of the FCT, where he said that the FCT administration had embraced public private partnership initiative as a key to its strategy of the attainment of its housing goals.

Godab estate, which is a public private partnership initiative of the administration for mass housing, sits on about 20 hectares of land in Kafe district, phase four of the FCT

He explained that many plot owners had been given title documents for their plots but could not develop them due to the inability of government to provide basic infrastructure in those areas.

Explaining the role of land speculators who had contributed in compounding the problems of housing in the FCT, Aliero who was represented by the Special Assistant on Special Duties to the minister of state, Mr. Chris Ugorji said, "this is in addition to the land speculators making billions from the sale of plots, which is by extension the selling of infrastructure because without such improvement, such plots wouldn't be worth such amount of money. From our detailed investigations, speculators sell these plots for up to N36, 000 per square metre. I believe there is nothing wrong in contributing a little of that for the government to provide such infrastructure. These are some of the reasons that have informed the decision of government to increase the land charges".

The minister stressed that housing anywhere in the world is a pivotal index of human development, calling on members of the organized private sector to take advantage of the conducive environment provided by government in the contribute their quota to the development of the FCT, just as he assured that the administration would continue to encourage investors by providing them plots for mass housing projects to allow even the less privileged own houses in Abuja.

In his remarks, former Chief of Naval Staff and chairman of Godab Nigeria Limited, AVM Jibril Ayinla said that he had decided to answer the clarion call of the government for public private partnership about six years ago, resulting in the estate. He called on government to do more in the provision of infrastructure, adding that because of the amount of money put into the provision of basic infrastructure such as roads in the estate, the money would have to be recouped through the sale of the houses, thus making them a bit more expensive than usual, adding that for prospective buyers who would make 100% down payment, their homes would be delivered in 9 months.

Ayinla said that with the nature of work needed to be done on the estate, it had also helped in curbing the menace of unemployment, as it has under its employ, at least 600 direct and indirect staff in all categories.

He maintained that the estate would be developed to world class standard, with facilities such as schools, worship and recreational centres, just as he boasted that when completed, it would be at par with estates such as Ikoyi in Lagos, and Maitama in Abuja.