By Henry Umoru

MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Senator Bala Mohammed said last week that the government is relocating Nyanya, one of the FCT suburbs to Gidan Daya because it has become the most notorious slum in the nation’s capital.

He explained that government’s decision to relocate the Nyanya Labour Camp was to ensure environmental and security standards as well as make way for the provision of decent houses for residents of the notorious slum.
Nyanya which is located less than 10 kilometers from the Abuja city centre, was built about 30 years ago for early construction workers involved in the building of the new Federal Capital City.

The FCTA Minister who spoke to newsmen, explained  that the present condition of Nyanya is an eyesore and does not befit the status of the FCT. According to him, builders of the camp planned it as a temporary camp, hence the kind of structures that were erected there.

Nyanya … Worst slum in the Nigeria?

He maintained that  the current security challenges in the country made the relocation of the Nyanya Labour Camp even more compelling. According to Senator Mohammed, the FCT Administration has taken several measures recently such as demolition of some buildings to enhance security and environmental sanity in Nyanya but added the situation can only be salvaged by relocation.

The Minister said that Gidan Daya, the chosen relocation site for Nyanya is a new district located within the same Abuja Municipal Area Council on the Karshi axis.
He restated the commitment of his Administration to provide affordable and decent housing for Nigerian workers. The gesture, he said, is behind the recent flag off of the construction of 40,000 housing units for workers in Abuja, a project which covers two districts in Apo Tafyi and Lugbe extension.

He stated that the land swap policy which he introduced in FCT about two years ago, has helped to accelerate development via triggering off the process for the opening of over 10 districts within the next four years. He claimed that he embarked on the globally acceptable programme to catalyze infrastructural development and generate funds for the FCT as a response to dwindling budgetary allocations from the Federation Account.