The Federal Capital Territory Administration has earmarked a parcel of land to build 1,500 houses for the Abuja Centenary Village as part under its Social Housing Scheme.

The Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, said this while receiving the Polish Deputy Marshal, Region of Wielkopolska, Poland, Mr. Leszek Wojtasiak, who led a business delegation to his office on Friday.

The minister said the houses would be built to commemorate the 100 years of the amalgamation of the Nigeria’s Northern and Southern Protectorates by the British colonialists, and would reduce the housing needs of FCT residents.

Mohammed said his administration had unbundled land administration in the FCT by opening it for full participation of the Organised Private Sector, consortiums and foreign investors.

According to him, the unbundling of land has culminated in the Abuja Land Swap Model initiative, in which about 13 investors are already working with the FCT Administration to open up 10 new districts by providing infrastructure and recouping their investments from the sales of plots of land.

He called for closer collaboration with the Polish government and businessmen through the Abuja Investment Company Limited and the Abuja Infrastructure Investment Centre for the mutual benefit of both nations.

“The FCT Administration has opened its doors to all genuine investors in consonance with the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan and his Transformation Agenda, which has been rewarded with direct foreign investment of over $6.6bn (N1.086tn) into the Federal Capital Territory, including the sum of $2.6bn foreign direct investment for the Abuja Town Centre Development and over $1bn now being expended on the ongoing construction work at the Abuja World Trade Centre,” Mohammed said.

He called for bilateral relation with Warsaw to share experiences, especially in city management.

Wojtasiak had earlier expressed appreciation for the warm reception accorded him and his business delegation.

He said Abuja was a beautiful city, especially in planning as well as in its management, adding that members of his team were impressed with the city’s lovely infrastructural development, particularly the road network.

Wojtasiak said they were in the country to rub minds with Nigerians and find areas of collaboration and business partnerships.

2013-02-11