The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Wuse market to get two 500KVA generators 

    As part of efforts to address the numerous challenges facing traders in Wuse market, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has assured traders that the administration will provide two 500KVA central working generating sets in Wuse market to address the epileptic power supply in the market.

    Specifically, the administration said the move is aimed at enhancing the shopping environments of the FCT markets and to contain air pollution in and around the market    This assurance was given by the Managing Director of Abuja Market Management Limited (AMML) Abubakar Faruk during a stakeholders meeting of Wuse traders and other relevant agencies in the city management of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

    The Managing Director who was represented by the Head of Corporate Services, Ibrahim Uzaibat revealed that the stakeholders meeting was designed as a new and complimentary approach to municipal management with peculiar interest and attention on the retail markets within the FCT.

    He said, “Further to our mandate of ensuring that the FCT markets are safe, clean, aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly in line with the vision of the FCT Administration, we are currently retooling our market management strategy as they relate to enforcement and compliance within these markets.

    “It is our belief that this approach, when sustained, will add in no small measure to the attainment of government’s objectives for the FCT markets, thereby relegating enforcement and prosecution to a last alternative”.

    The M.D tasked the traders to tackle the menace of hawking, touting, fire hazards, proliferation of generators, general insecurity to attain a world class shopping environment for residents and visitors to the Federal Capital Territory.

    Confirming the development to our correspondent, the Ag. Coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, AMMC, Hajia Safiya Umar said that the FCT Administration has given approval for the procurement of two 500KVA generators to be installed in Wuse market, stressing that Abuja Investment Company Limited, AICL has been directed to perfect the project.   The chairman of Wuse Traders Association, Mr. Okorie Raphael, commended the FCT Administration for the initiative, noting that the move will in no small measure enhanced trading activities in the market.

  • Council recruits vigilance groups

    The Chairman of Kuje Area Council Alhaji Abdullahi Galadima has disclosed plans to recruit vigilance members that would collaborate with the security agents to checkmate any form of crime in the council.

    Galadima while addressing journalists in Kuje after a closed-door security meeting with traditional rulers and security agencies, urged the youth in the area to continue to remain law abiding to all constituted authorities.

    He however, called for the continued support to the council and noted that plans were underway to recruit vigilante members that would also collaborate with the security agents to checkmate any form of crime in the entire council. while urging residents to remain law abiding to all constituted authorities.

    Galadima said the issue of security was a collective responsibility of everybody, hence it had become necessary to rid the council of any form of crime and criminality.

    He advised residents to always partner with security agencies by giving them useful information.

     

  • Peaceful atmosphere as school resumes

    An impressive turnout of students and pupils was recorded on the first day of resumption of public schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as school children in their thousands defied an early morning downpour to attend classes.

    It would be recalled that the FCT Administration had penultimate week extended the resumption date for the 2016/2017 academic calendar for all public primary and post primary schools in the FCT, from September 4 and 5 to 18 (for boarding schools) and Monday, September 19 2016 (for day schools).

    However, a visit to some public primary and secondary schools in the nation’s capital revealed that while many school children were seen moving around cleaning up their classrooms, in readiness for full learning session; some were already learning in their classes.

    Some of the schools visited included Government Secondary School (GSS)-Wuse zone 3, Festival Road Primary School and two Government Secondary Schools, all in Area 10 and Area 11 of Garki District.

    At the Senior Secondary School in Garki, Area 10, the Principal of the School, Haruna Mohammed Nabayi, disclosed that a total of five hundred students were recorded on the first day of resumption, out of the eight hundred students on the school’s register, which is about 80%

    turnout.

    And most of the students in their separate interviews expressed joy over the resumption of schools, saying they are very ready and eager to continue their learning process.

    Speaking to newsmen during an inspection tour of FCT schools, to assess the level of turnout of students and pupils, Acting Secretary, Education Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Musa Maikasuwa Yakubu, expressed delight with the impressive turnout at the schools.

    He observed that when the team visited some of the secondary schools, the classes were almost filled up, which he said shows that everybody is ready for full academic activities.

    “We are very pleased with what we have seen; because in spite of the fact that it rained heavily this morning, students and pupils were able go to schools, and some of them are still coming.

    “And the fact that the students are ready for the teachers, only means that they should be more serious with their job.

    “The teachers have had their pre-resumption meeting in all the schools, so they are ready-they have prepared their lesson notes and scheme of work.”

    According to him, the school inspection will be a continuous exercise, as even at the zonal level across the six Area Councils; the inspection is also going on there.

    On what could be responsible for the impressive turnout of students on the first day of resumption of schools, he said; of course everybody is really serious, because it seems that the change agenda of the government of the day is really moving into the system.

    “And I believe we should be able to move with time, so if you do not change, of course the change will change you,” he stated.

    He added, “The environment is also ready to absorb all manner of children from any part of the country.

    “FCT is the centre of unity, and as such we are always ready to accept pupils and students at any time they come, we are aware of the exodus of school children from private schools.

    He advised pupils, students and teachers alike to not only maintain the momentum, but also up the tempo of academic activities in order to improve learning and performance in the schools.

  • ‘We must rid councils, satellite towns of waste’

    The FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello has directed that a comprehensive waste evacuation exercise be undertaken in all the council areas as well as satellite communities of the territory.

    The operation is scheduled to last seven days.

    The Acting Director of the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD) Mrs. Victoria Imande disclosed this, saying that the STDD has concluded arrangements to commence the seven-day exercise.

    Mrs. Imande stated that the FCT Administration is poised to clean up all the nooks and cranny of the satellite towns.

    She solicited for the cooperation and understanding of all the residents of the Federal Capital Territory particularly those resident in the Satellite Towns, by keying into the exercise to make it a success.

    The Director urged the residents to take personal interest in the exercise by owning the initiative and making personal hygiene part of their daily personal lives.

     

  • Demolition backlash

    Demolition backlash

    Pulling down structures has been going on apace, but not without victims crying foul. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports
    img_20160907_142541-ok-copyBack in January everyone thought the new minister was joking when he said he would go the el-Rufai way. Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir el-Rufai, in his days as minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was the Demolition Man because he went about pulling down structures in a way that some thought was quite brazen. He was feared and fought for his troubles.

    Now, one of his successors, Malam Muhammad Bello is proving that he is no joker and that he can bite as much as he can bark, much like the good old Demolition Man. Several property owners can attest to that, to their horror.

    Bulldozers from the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) have been at work, while their owners have been vehement in condemning the operation.

    A few weeks ago, investigations revealed that the AMMC intensified the continuous demolition of what it termed illegal structures within the city centre on the order of the FCT minister.

    Bello has always made it known that he would stop at nothing to restore the Abuja master plan, and that at the end of the planned demolition, there would be no slum in the FCT.

    It would be recalled that Bello, during one of his press briefings early this year, said, “Buildings on sewer lines, green areas and areas of public interest that are not authorised will be removed. Beneficiaries of undeveloped lands in Phase 1 and Phase 2 stand the risk of forfeiting them. To run this city, we must go back to the law.”

    Several houses and shops have been demolished with many people going through pains and hardship on how to get themselves together and face the challenges of life.

    Affected people said they did not what next to do or where to go after their shops were pulled down.

    Many of them complained that government was carrying out the demolition exercise on short notice.

    Affected areas include Salsa Spot close to H-Medix supermarket, located at Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Wuse 2 Abuja, Shops and malls located around Banex plaza area.

    A village located at Utako area was also affected in the ongoing exercise.

    One of the affected victims of the demolition exercise a worker with a Suya Spot, Malam Sani Umaru told Abuja Review that AMMC did not give them adequate notice before the demolition.

    He said, “They only gave us 24 hours’ notice and before the 24 hours the demolition was carried out; this is inhuman treatment meted on us by the authority of the FCT. This business has existed here for the past 15 years there was no time we were ever harassed by the authority or any government official.  This action has denied about 13 persons means of livelihood and other beneficiaries of this business.

    “We are 13 persons working here earning at least N1,700 daily, if you calculate that you know what you can get. Right now I am hungry because my means of earning income has been stopped by the same government that supposed to create job for the people.

    Another shop owner who doesn’t want his name in print described the exercise as one lacking in objectivity as some buildings owned by highly influential individuals were not affected in the demolition exercise.

    “They marked there and here, they pulled down mine they didn’t pull down that one. That is the world, a world of wickedness, the notice they gave was only 24 hours.

    When asked whether he got approval from necessary authorities before the structure was erected, the victim insisted that his building was not illegal, claiming that he had been operating there for more than 10 years.

    He said, “It is not illegal, this structure has been here since the first tenure of Obasanjo, what are we talking about?”

    Other property owners have been lamenting the sudden resumption of demolition exercise, accusing the FCTA of insensitivity and violation of due process.

    Another affected lady Chioma Chukwu said: “Yesterday, I got a call about the demolition at about 4pm and this morning, they are already demolishing at other parts of the town, Banex to be precise, so we are trying to pack our things. We have been here for the past five-years, and nobody has said we are doing anything wrong.”

    The demolition, according to other affected persons that spoke to Abuja Review in recent times, become worrisome in view of the fact that the country is facing a serious economic meltdown occasioned by the economic recession with the government urging the youths to look for alternative job opportunities in order to be gainfully employed.

    All efforts to speak with a Deputy Director at AMMC, Mukhtar Galadima, to react to the allegation that government gave them short notice were futile.

    For government, it is a win-win process, but for the masses, it is pain and agony.

     

  • Minister courts Igbo support for Buhari

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT)  Minister Malam Muhammad Bello has urged the Igbo people resident in Abuja to continue to support the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The Minister made the call when a delegation of the Igbo community resident in the Federal Capital Territory paid him a visit.

    Bello emphasised that the continued support from all Nigerians irrespective of ethnic, political or religious inclinations is necessary to enable the President take Nigeria to greater heights.

    He also urged them to extend that same support to all his appointees in the Federal Capital Territory to enable them deliver quality services to the residents as encapsulated in the Change Agenda of the Federal Government.

    The Minister reiterated that his administration was working assiduously to make the Abuja light rail project operational by December 2017, adding that all the rail corridors would be developed to boost trade and commercial activities in the Territory.

    According to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary,  Muhammad Sule, said that the history of Abuja cannot be complete without the mention of the contributions of the Igbo traders.

    He assured that his administration would continue to run an open door policy and all-inclusive government with all the strata of the society carried along to give every sector of the country a sense of belonging.

    The Minister called for peaceful co-existence amongst all ethnic groups resident in the Federal Capital Territory, stressing, “We should maintain the tempo of the peace we are enjoying in Abuja”.

    Bello used the occasion to admonish the residents of the Federal Capital Territory to always report any suspicious movement to the law enforcement agents, in order to nip in the bud any security breach.

    Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and the Eze Ndigbo of Abuja, Eze Ibe Nwosu promised to maintain high degree of peace wherever they found themselves in the Territory and would continue to contribute to the economic development of Abuja.

    Eze Nwosu asked the FCT Administration to carve out new layouts to develop new markets, in order to decongest the existing ones.

    Eze Ndigbo appealed to the Minister to include the Igbo people resident in Abuja in Board appointments and other political appointments to give them a sense of belonging.

     

  • Council recruits vigilance groups

    The Chairman of Kuje Area Council Alhaji Abdullahi Galadima has disclosed plans to recruit vigilance members that would collaborate with the security agents to checkmate any form of crime in the council.

    Galadima while addressing journalists in Kuje after a closed-door security meeting with traditional rulers and security agencies, urged the youth in the area to continue to remain law abiding to all constituted authorities.

    He however, called for the continued support to the council and noted that plans were underway to recruit vigilante members that would also collaborate with the security agents to checkmate any form of crime in the entire council. while urging residents to remain law abiding to all constituted authorities.

    Galadima said the issue of security was a collective responsibility of everybody, hence it had become necessary to rid the council of any form of crime and criminality.

    He advised residents to always partner with security agencies by giving them useful information.

     

  • A crackdown on overhead bridge hawkers

    A crackdown on overhead bridge hawkers

    The Federal Capital Territory has taken steps to ensure that hawkers steer clear of overhead bridges, GRACE OBIKE reports

    The daily tragic drama on the roads is coming to end. Pedestrians often shun the overhead bridges and enact a sprint across the busy expressways at a huge cost to themselves. Many have been hit and injured or killed by fast-moving vehicles.

    The administration of the territory had long warned of the dangers of not using the bridges but many residents would not. Now, the administration is enforcing the order, by clearing the bridges of hawkers and the destitute.

    The FCT administration on its part has attempted on several occasions to implement laws that will force residents to use such bridges, in some cases, fences have been built in places like Nicon and some strategic locations in Abuja to prevent residents from crossing the road but such fences are in most cases pulled down.

    To prove the administration’s readiness to curb street hawkers and enforce the use of the overhead bridges, Minister of the FCT Malam Muhammad Bello visited the pedestrian bridge in Ludge, a village along the Airport Road.

    There, he reiterated that such bridges were constructed for easy movement and passage of residents crossing the highways but not meant for hawking, begging or for other nuisances and therefore a stop must be put to it forthwith.

    He directed the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the FCT Task Team on Environment to as a matter of urgency stop hawkers using pedestrian bridges for their activities in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary FCT, Muhammad Sule made the revelation in a press statement where he credited the minister with warning warned that hawking and other activities are not acceptable on the Pedestrian bridges across the Territory and called for strict enforcement.

    He quoted the minister saying, “The Administration is not prepared to take excuses anymore; saying that they must carry out their statutory duty.

    “Malam Bello also instructed that the AEPB and the Task Team must also get rid of herdsmen still grazing in the Federal Capital City; noting, “you must find a way in dealing with that bizarre situation”.

    “He seized that opportunity to talk to the crowd gathered around the pedestrian bridge on why people should not use such places as shopping malls.

    “He told them that pedestrian bridges were also not constructed for miscreants and further warned that all activities must be very far away from the expressway ways.

    “These expressways are the gateway into the Federal Capital City and the seat of power of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and therefore everything must be done to keep Abuja clean from all environmental nuisances in line with the vision of its founding fathers,” Malam Bello stressed.

    The Director of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olanipekun and the Chairman of the FCT Task Team on Environment, Squadron Leader Abdullahi Adamu Monjel, accompanied the Minister on the unscheduled visit and promised to implement the law.

  • Council chief hires vigilance groups

    Council chief hires vigilance groups

    The Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Alhaji Abdullahi Galadima, has disclosed plans to recruit vigilante members that would collaborate with the security agents to checkmate any form of crime in the entire council.

    Galadima while addressing journalists in Kuje after a closed door security meeting with traditional rulers and security agencies, therefore, urged the youth in the area to continue to remain law abiding to all constituted authorities.

    He however, called for the continued support to the council and noted that plans were underway to recruit vigilante members that would also collaborate with the security agents to checkmate any form of crime in the entire council. while urging residents to remain law abiding to all constituted authorities.

    Galadima said the issue of security was a collective responsibility of everybody, hence it had become necessary to rid the council of any form of crime and criminality.

    He advise residents to always partner with all security agencies by giving them any useful information whenever the need arose.

     

  • Minister inaugurates school as council marks 100 days

    Minister inaugurates school as council marks 100 days

    The FCT Administration would continue to support and encourage any Area Council in its domain which initiates people-oriented projects.

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello gave this assurance while commissioning a primary school in Iddo-Ma’aji, a village located along Airport Road.

    The new school was constructed by the Abuja Municipal Area Council chaired by Abdullahi Candido in his 100 days in office.a

    Bello said that what the people in the rural areas need is thae basic necessities of life and insisted that the Area Councils that are closer to the grassroots must strive to achieve more of such laudable projects.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the Minister emphasized that his Administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for all the Area Councils to perform optimally.

    He reminded the council officials that the people were anxiously watching how they would fulfil the campaign promises they made.

    The Minister, who lauded the AMAC chief for bringing education to the doorsteps of the people that genuinely desire it, also urged other Area Council chairmen not to betray the confidence reposed in them by the voters.

    Bello remarked that education remains the bedrock for any meaningful development; adding that the choice of the project embarked upon by the AMAC Chairman will go a long way in liberating their minds.

    The Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Abdullahi Adamu Candido appreciated the kind gesture of the Minister who took time out of his busy schedule to personally commission the school.

    “This shows that Malam Muhammad Musa Bello is truly with the people despite his exalted position in the society,” he added.

    Several APC leaders in the Federal Capital Territory like Hajiya Ireti Kingigbe, Hon. Tanko Abari and a host of others also attended the ceremony.