Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has allayed the fears of residents that the plan by the state government to develop megacities in the state is not a plot to dispossess land owners.
Bago insisted that the government was not interested in grabbing land from locals for the new Bida 20-year development plan.
The governor spoke in Bida during a town hall with stakeholders, including traditional leaders, and religious and youth groups as part of a broader strategy to engage communities on the 20-year plan.
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He said, “Our dream is to make megacities in Niger State — Suleja, Kontagora, Bida. This is our dream, and you cannot do that unless you’re able to plan your land. In this entire corridor you are going to have a minimum of 300,000 plots.
“If a plot goes for N10 million, that is N3 trillion. So for somebody who has a long-term vision for investment, it can attract foreign direct investment, and they will come and put drainages, and roads, and they will sell this land over time.
“Nobody is collecting your land. We are saying that through GIS, we have captured all the settlements in that corridor, and we are going to protect them. Whatever they are doing on the land, they will continue to do what they are doing on their land.”
He said the new Bida development plan was a short-term plan that would engender rapid development and boost socio-economic activities in the town.
“We will do our geospatial study. Once we are done with that, we’ll beckon it. Any land of yours that falls into a beacon for housing. You’ll be paid compensation.
“However, that housing may not come up until the next 10 years. So you can continue to do what you are doing. Nobody has taken away your economic activities, so people should not get it wrong because I have seen videos; nobody has collected your land,” the governor said.
“So where your village is falling into a government corridor for the development of a railway, of an airport, of a new city, you cannot stop it. You should be part of it and be happy that the modernisation of Bida Emirate is happening in your lifetime.
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“So, the government is not interested in collecting or grabbing your land. The government is only going to protect those lands from speculators and land grabbers. Therefore, any new structure that is erected henceforth on that corridor will be demolished because it means it is counter-development,” Bago added.
Speaking on the ring road of 44 km dual carriageway which is aimed at diverting traffic, the governor said a new city would also spring up in the area and social amenities as well as a 100 megawatt solar farm would be provided for the people in the area.
The Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Yahaya Abubakar, called on the people to cooperate with the state government in its effort to develop Bida town, which he said would secure a good future for many generations.
