The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the Parastatal of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) charged with the responsibility to plan and develop the nation’s Capital City has recorded remarkable progress in the discharge of its mandate despite associated challenges.
The Executive Secretary, Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda who made this known while speaking in his office, noted that a clear indication of this fact is that very many laudable projects which commenced at different times had either been completed or nearing completion by the current administration.
According to him, “The FCDA has been able to continue to develop the capital city using the masterplan as its guide on its mandate of infrastructural provision. This infrastructure we talk about include roads, water supply, sewer lines, power supply, telecommunication infrastructure, and public buildings. A lot has been achieved. As at 2023, we had several projects that were ongoing. With the coming of this administration, 2023-2024, and we are now in 2025, many of those projects have now been completed. Some started even before 2023, some were as old as five, six, and ten years respectively”
The Executive Secretary attributed the initial slow pace of the projects to budgetary challenges and significant changes in the economic indices that affected project costs, but expressed pleasure that that narrative has changed for the better due to what he described as the Honourable Minister’s foresight, innovation and ingenuity in sourcing for funds and in the management of same.
“With the coming of this administration, the funding has improved. Kudos to the Honourable Minister, his innovation and ingenuity in sourcing for and managing the funds coupled with the drive on revenue generation that the Honourable Minister has devised has made a lot of impact to project delivery”, he stated.
He noted that infrastructural provision in Abuja makes a huge impact as it provides access to plots, job opportunities, attracts investments, improves travel time, and security through the provision of conventional and solar street lights, among others.
The Executive Secretary also frowned at the deliberate encroachment on road corridors by developers and residents’ underutilization of FCT relevant Agencies and Secretariats in understanding the uniqueness of the FCT, but expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister for what he termed his wisdom and tact in addressing these matters.
He buttressed that “If you remember the issue of Gishiri community that was sitting on Arterial Road N16, and it was causing a delay of that project, but the Honourable Minister was able to address that and if you go there now, you will see a magnificent project”
He reminded Abuja residents that the city is a planned one with a Master Plan that guides its planning and development and they should therefore desist from acts that could compromise the integrity of the document, emphasizing that “People should be law- abiding. The city is planned. There are reservations made for roads, water ways, sewer lines, and much more. Sometimes, when people are given land titles, they see probably some green areas, or water ways with setbacks, they assume they are free, whereas, such places have been earmarked or reserved for sewer lines, water ways, etc. Some of these encroachments have been causing flooding especially in the southern part of the city like Lokogoma area “.
He charged developers to ensure they remain within the boundaries of their titles and allocations as the administration remains committed to applying the guidelines on the city’s development, saying, “We crave the indulgence and understanding of the public towards ensuring that they remain within the boundaries of their titles and allocations. It minimizes a lot of damages, and they should also understand that water ways are actually meant for water ways. The law applies, once you don’t have a title over a place, Development Control will wield the big stick and the structures are removed”
