Buhari endorses controversial Centenary City project despite PDP chieftain’s allegations

Hehe...President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday commended the management of the Centenary City Plc for its vision.
A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted the President as speaking after being briefed by the Chairman of the company’s board of directors, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.) and members of its management team.

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Shehu said Buhari praised the Centenary City’s main development partners from the United Arab Emirates for having enough confidence in Nigeria to agree to invest about $18.5bn in the project.
He said the President also welcomed the assertion by Abubakar and his team that the project would create about 250,000 more direct jobs in the Federal Capital Territory and about half a million indirect jobs.
The statement added, “The President noted that skills, expertise and vast experience that will be brought into the country to build the Centenary City on the Dubai model, will also be of immense benefit to Nigeria’s overall development.
“Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, who was also present at the briefing, said that the issue of the rights of the original inhabitants of the site acquired for the Centenary City had been of concern to the present Administration.”
Shehu further quoted Osinbajo as saying that the government was glad that the issue of the rights of the original inhabitants was being handled.
Gen. Abubakar and the management of the Centenary City were also said to have told Buhari and Osinbajo that the project would be totally private sector-driven.
Speaking, Permanent Secretary of the FCT, Mr. John Chukwu, told State House correspondents that Nigerians should ignore the negative perception being promoted by some individuals.
“I think if you have issues with the Centenary City, the best approach is to talk to those who know, to give you the information, not speculation,” Chukwu said.
He also said he was not aware of the alleged short-changing of Nigerians on N12bn waiver.
The firm’s Managing Director, Dr. Odenigwe Michael, explained that the firm is owned by 40 Nigerians and international investors.
“We have paid all the interested holders the compensation for the Centenary City site.
“We are going ahead with their relocation, also being supervised by the FCDA,” he explained.
Ojougboh, who had on July 21, 2015 written a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, to probe Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has also written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the same issue.
He, alleged that Anyim appended his signature on the Centenary City document without properly briefing former President Goodluck Jonathan about it.
Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, the Peoples Democratic Party Vice Chairman (South-South), had told newsmen that former Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim made carried out under dealings in the project.
His words: “The former President (Goodluck Jonathan) thought that the Centenary City project was for the good of all Nigerians because of the centenary spirit. But unknown to him, it was the private project of the former SGF and his cohorts. Yes, the former President signed the papers as presented to him by the former SGF.
“He was not properly briefed because of vested interests. I can defend him, he was not part of the fraud. If Jonathan had been properly briefed, he would not have approved the project, let alone talk of going to perform the ground breaking of the project.
“I am calling on President Buhari now to revisit the centenary project and he will be shocked at the findings that the project was owned by private individuals but procured with government funds”.
Ojougboh stated that the former SGF was involved in fraudulent acquisitions perpetrated by the sponsors of the project covering over 1,500 hectares of land in the Federal Capital City, Abuja, adding that the size of the land was equal to Maitama, Asokoro and Guzape districts put together.