The Presidency on Saturday decried impediments to federal projects, asking States to resolve land issues.
It, therefore, warned that the Federal Government might be forced to re-allocate projects elsewhere if any State government or communities create unnecessary impediments in the allocation of land or access to such lands for federal projects.
“The idea of chasing away contractors on site or making undue demands from them by local communities or the deliberate actions of State governments to frustrate the allocation of lands for federal projects is an antithesis of the people’s welfare,” President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu.
President Buhari had in a recent directive asked Ministers in his government to have the states clear all lingering land issues threatening federal projects under their supervision or have such projects moved to willing states where that becomes impossible.
Buhari regretted that some communities in the states are frustrating the siting of federal projects in their areas by making impossible demands for land compensation on contractors and even chasing them away from site where they are unable to meet up.
Contractors kept away from site often make further demands on payment whenever they return to site, thereby compounding the matters.
The presidency said the refusal to allocate lands for federal projects or the growing hostility by communities against contractors on site were hurting the interests of the very people governments were elected to serve.
It said by denying Federal government lands for projects and creating unnecessary obstacles for the execution of these projects, it might be unfair to turn around and accuse the same Federal government of marginalising people in terms of projects allocation.
The presidency added that, “when it comes to the welfare of the people, governments at all levels should be united by the common goal of improving the well being of the people, regardless of political affiliation.”
It said that it is impossible to spread Federal government projects when petty demands or politics is allowed to override the higher interest of the people.
It would be recalled that the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, recently said that some communities in the Southeast were demanding N100 billion compensation in the course of the ongoing construction of the second Niger Bridge.
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