“Many of these plots in prime areas are being reallocated to individuals and corporate bodies with a strict mandate to develop them within six months to one year.”
The Kaduna State government has said it has been revoking and reallocating land with a view to accelerating the development of allocated plots in the state under its urban renewal programme.
The government stated this on Monday through a statement by the spokesperson of the governor, Muyiwa Adekeye.
The statement was in apparent reaction to a report by Peoples Gazette newspaper alleging that Governor Nasir El-Rufai reallocated land seized from senior civil servants to his family members and cronies.
According to the statement, plots were revoked from persons who had held on to them for years without developing them.
“Many of these plots in prime areas are being reallocated to individuals and corporate bodies with a strict mandate to develop them within six months to one year.”
The government said plots in the Millennium City were also being “actively allocated as part of the deliberate focus on fast-tracking the development of the Eastern Sector of Kaduna metropolis.”
It said the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS) has also allocated 4,359 plots in Kaduna, “from which the names of persons who sought accelerated development plots are being bandied about, in muddled up lists around with baseless innuendos are being woven. The persons on the accelerated development list constitute less that 1% of all allotees.”
The statement said Mr El-Rufai also “specifically directed that KADGIS should allocate plots of land to as many government workers and citizens who demonstrate active interest by applying.
“Rare is the public function during which guests from the private and public sectors are not actively invited by KDSG to apply for land in Kaduna State. The state is being actively positioned as a lower cost alternative to Abuja for active workers, and a cheaper retirement option for senior citizens.”