Writing By Ali Muhammad Rabiu ; Editing By Godwin Duru
Over N569 million naira has been disbursed by Kwara state government as compensation to owners of land acquired for the Ilorin Smart City Project.
Presenting the cheque to the beneficiaries, the state Commissioner for Land, Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Segun Ogunsola, said those who will benefit from the first phase of the payment included customary landowners, land purchasers, and farmers in the affected areas.
He said the exercise would be a milestone in the state’s urban renewal agenda.
According to him , the Smart City would address both the housing deficit and population challenges in the state.
Dr Ogunsola explained that the State government adopted global best practices in handling the project, stressing that communities whose 19,500 hectares of land were acquired would not be displaced but incorporated as stakeholders in the development.
He noted that the new University of Education, the Renewed Hope Housing Scheme, and various recreational facilities would be part of the Smart City.
For his part, the Chairman , Kwara State Geographic Information Service (KWA-GIS), Mr. Suleiman AbdulKareem, said the initiative of the Smart City would be a generational asset for the state.
In his remarks ,the Controller, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Okiemule Joy urged representatives of the communities to ensure that the compensation reaches the rightful landowners.
In their separate address , the representatives of the benefiting communities, Dr. Babatunde Saka and Musa Sidiq,commended the state government for timely execution of the compensation .
They however said that the Smart City project would usher in development in their communities and the state in general.
COV/ALI MUHAMMAD RABIU
