Gov Aliyu blames FG for distortion of Abuja master plan

Niger State Governor Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu on Thursday said that the original concept for the establishment of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been abused insisting that the country has to go back to the implementation of the original master plan.
Governor Aliyu recalled that the FCT was created purposely as an administrative headquarters but has now combined the role with that of the commercial center of the nation.
Dr Aliyu who made the observations in Minna when he received on a courtesy call at Government House, the Minister of State for Agriculture Hajia Asabe Asmau Ahmed said that unlike what is contained in the master plan the contiguous states are to serve as the commercial centres with the federal government assisting to develop these states.
He however said that Abuja has become congested as a result of the dual role the capital is now playing while the contiguous states are suffering.
‘Abuja was not supposed to be a commercial centre we are suffering now for contributing to make Abuja’
‘FCT has become the only place where people want to be we need to rarely de-congest Abuja we need to review the commercial nature of the FCT by making sure that contiguous states really benefit’.
Aliyu also chastised the political class in the country for not being tolerant of each other a development he argued that has made some states to lose the benefits that were supposed to enjoy either from the center or the state government.
The Governor hinted that the state government may not buy fertilizer for sale to farmers in the state this year as a way of encouraging farmers to register under the federal governments farmers registration programme disclosing that the measure has now paid off with the number of registered farmers in the state jumping from 275,000 to 500,000 with a potential to reach 2m farmers in another one year.
Dr Aliyu lamented that of the 16 irrigation schemes in the state only 3 are functioning which has become a clog in the wheel of progress for irrigation farming.
Earlier the Minister of State for Agriculture, Hajia Asmau Asabe Ahmed had told the governor that all the silos in the country are to be concessioned by the Federal government to make them more functional, saying that state governments will be given option of first refusal.
Hajia Asabe Asmau Ahmed disclosed that the Federal Government has gotten additional funding for the FADAMA 111 project which life span has now been extended to 2017.
She told the governor that her visit to the state was to inspect facilities installed by the ministry in the state and find out the challenges they are facing.