Geestunnar:
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he welcomed an assurance from the management of the Centenary City Plc that all the original inhabitants of the site have been fully compensated.

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.

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 direct jobs in the Federal Capital Territory and about half a million indirect jobs.

The statement said, “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.”

He said that he looked forward to regular updates on the Centenary City’s 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 current administration.

Shehu further quoted Osinbajo as saying that the government is glad that the issue of the rights of the original inhabitants is being handled.

Abubakar and the management of the Centenary City were also said to have told Buhari and Osinbajo that the project would be private-sector driven.

The Permanent Secretary, the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. John Chukwu, later told Nigerians not to rely on what is in the public domain regarding the Centenary City.

He was apparently reacting to a statement credited to the National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, South-South, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, who petitioned the President demanding for a probe of the role of the immediate former Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, in the multi-billion dollar project.

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