The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FCT

  • Boko Haram: Senate canvasses bomb detectors in FCT buses

    Boko Haram: Senate canvasses bomb detectors in FCT buses

    The Senate Tuesday asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration to immediately make provision for the installation of bomb detectors on all mass transit buses in the FCT.

    The upper chamber also mandated the FCT administration to address the issue of waste disposal and cattle rearing in the city centre.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Dino Melaye, gave the charge at the inaugural meeting of his committee with the Minister of FCT, Mohammed Musa Bello in Abuja.

    The mandate to install security gadgets in buses and other areas may not be unconnected with the growing security concern in the FCT.

    Melaye noted that in the course of their oversight, the committee would ensure that all parks were upgraded and security gadgets installed in all locations.

    He added that provision must also be made for bomb detectors to be installed on all mass transit buses in Abuja.

    These, he said, are in addition to other security measures that would be proposed by the committee for safety of people in the FCT.

    Melaye who insisted that security is not the job of security forces alone added that “our collective security depends on our collective and individual efforts at securing our neighbourhoods.”

    He noted that collaborative effort between the government and the citizens remained the only way to deliver solution to nip security challenges in the bud.

    The committee chairman said that the FCT administration has failed to address the issue of waste disposal, cattle rearing in the city centre and the return of commercial motorcyclists to the city centre.

    According to him, heaps of garbage and overgrown bushes are found everywhere in the city centre while erection of tents and shanties, littering of streets with abandoned vehicles which can be a safe place for planting of explosives have become the order of the day.

    He said that FCT transport sector is in a serious state of disarray embroiled with uncertainties both in the land and rail transportation sectors.

    Malaye said that “the railway sector is being transformed gradually into a serious conduit pipe where billion of naira is being allocated annually without visible appreciable development on the ground.

    He also said that the six Area Councils of the FCT should brace up for a new level of commitment to governance.

    He regretted that over time the Area Councils have been left to operate without any oversight warning that “it will no longer be business as usual.”

    The Area Councils, he said, must rise up for onerous task of accountability and developmental projects.

     

  • Memories of FCT Minister Bello as Corper

    SIR: Understandably, one of the goals of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is to make Nigerian youths, leaders of tomorrow – to know more of their country, its cultures, its people and its diversities.

    For this reason, the Nigerian youths upon graduation are sent out to serve their fatherland for one year outside their states of origin. So it was when skinny, slightly built Muhammadu Musa Bello graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1977, the NYSC authorities found he was from Adamawa State and chose to post him to Lagos State.

    The Lagos NYSC handlers, when Walter Oyatogun ‘Wakie –Wakie’ was their spokesman, also decided to post Bello to Holy Saviour’s College, Isolo. That was when corps members T. Ayuba, M.M Bello and O. Amupitan became flat mates in Isolo -three young Nigerian graduates from Plateau, Adamawa and Kwara states were brought to Lagos to face a little southernisation, designed to weld Nigeria into a better whole.

    Did I hear somebody say the morning shows the day? This axiom is very true of Muhammadu Musa Bello. It was in the era when if you were a Nigerian varsity graduate, you would have been trained to be as good as anyone else from any other university across the globe.

    There were only five universities graduating students in Nigeria as at that date. They admitted the best leaving the rest to seek admission abroad. That was the era that produced Musa, as we simply called him then, and he was very good and diligent. He taught two streams of Form Five with 50 students each, and many students again in Form Three.

    Believe me, it was a herculean task, because in truth, those pupils had neither seen much of good tutoring nor imbibed the culture of determined self-scholarship. The long free time from Friday to Monday, when yours truly would have been whisked away to Palmgrove to rock whatever Owambe that Lagos could offer, Musa would stay back in that backwater environment forming lesson notes and marking some 200 scripts, as if he was a true staff, not a mere corps member.

    In those roaring years of the 70’s, when Nigeria’s problem reputedly was not money but how to spend it because of its abundance, when not many people placed much premium on matters of faith, Musa was different. He would get us to lower our booming stereophonic system and chatters that he could knock his forehead repeatedly to the ground on five separate occasions per day.

    Much later on, when I learnt Musa had become chairman, National Hajj Commission, I heaved a sigh of relief that people were beginning to put right pegs in right holes. Now again after many meritorious years’ service to the Muslim ummah, Musa has mounted to this place of greatness as Minister of the Federal Republic, in a government of progressive tendency. Now it is clear; those big big books on socialism that Musa was always pumping down his gumption were not in vain after all. He has finally helped the berth of a government that plans to put premium on the needs of the Nigerian people as a whole, not on only a few thereof, that Musa has been propounding since his youth, even as a Lagos corper. Congratulations Honourable Minister, FCT

     

    • Ola Amupitan,

    Lagos. 

  • Youths seek committed minister for FCT

    After expressing their disappointment over the absence of an indigenous ministerial nominee for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), some youths have requested President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that a qualified and committed person is appointed to run the Territory.

    The youths under the auspices of Original Inhabitants Youths Empowerment Organisation appealed to President Buhari to choose a truly committed, detribalised and focused Minister of the FCT who will implement the recommendations of various committees set up to address the grievances of the indigenous people.

    Their President, Isaac David said, “Appointments into political offices at national level are regulated by the 1999 Constitution section 14 and by the Federal Character Establishment Act of 1997. The Act requires that appointments into political and other offices should be given to candidates who are indigenous to the FCT and the States of Nigeria.”

    The FCT indigenes said they have for long expected a leader they can trust and who can make promises and keep them, a man who will build bridges of trust and mutual understanding across the country.

    Also the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Jiba appealed to President Buhari to consider indigenes of Abuja when appointing his Ministers that will form his cabinet.

    Jiba who also is the President of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) made this known following the expectations of Nigerians that his cabinet would be formed in October, since he has submitted some names to the National Assembly.

    He said, “We believe that President Buhari is truly for everybody, because he has been tested and trusted as a former Head of States and presently the President of Nigeria. So, I believe that he has everybody in mind and he will carry all of us along, because we the indigenes of Abuja want to contribute our quota in his administration.

    “After Katsina and Daura, the next place he can call his home is Abuja and I believe that he has the original inhabitants of the FCT at heart and he will not allow the people to be marginalised in his administration, making sure that he considers the FCT indigenes his ministerial appointments.

    “Indigenes of the FCT see the emergence of President Buhari as a divine intervention from God to save the indigenes from the prolonged marginalisation. I believe that President Muhammadu Buhari will live up to the expectations of Nigerians and make everyone experience the good things that have eluded this country for a very long time.

    “Nigerians should continue to pray for this administration, so that God will make it to succeed and end the insurgency that is threatening the peace and unity of this country. Also, in doing that, we all should be vigilant and look out for any suspicious movement within our environments and report it to the appropriate security agencies,” he said.

     

  • FCT APC urges residents to be vigilant

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on residents to be vigilant and support the government in its fight against insurgency.

    This call was made by the State Secretary of the party, Hon. Abdulahi Candido who condemned the bomb attack at Nyanya and Kuje area of the FCT in which over 15 people died and more than 40 injured.

    Candido said there is need to forestall such attacks.

    Candido who is also an aspirant for the chairmanship of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) said every resident should be vigilant and look out for any suspicious movements in their environments and report to the appropriate security agencies.

    “The attacks at Nyanya and Kuje were unexpected, especially now that we were about celebrating  peace in the FCT. This is not good for our country and I will advise those behind this dastardly act to repent and embrace peace in this country. There is the need for all of us to live in peace and unity and move this country to greater height together.

    “Those perpetrating this evil acts should know that killing of fellow human beings will never do any good to anyone. It is high time they embraced peace and accept that Nigerians want to live in peace as a united nation. President Muhammadu Buhari has the sincere desire to build this country and carry everyone along, so everyone should support him to do it.

    “I want to advice every group or individual to condemn such dastardly acts whereby innocent lives are destroyed because of selfish interest. We all should be vigilant and know that security of lives and property should not be left for the government alone, we should try to do our best by ensuring that we always look out for suspicious movements and make reports where necessary.

    “My prayer is that we should not witness such dastardly acts again in the FCT and entire Nigeria, that is why as Nigerians, we should always contribute our quota in assisting the government in the aspect of security. So, that the issue of insecurity will be a thing of the past,” he said.

     

  • FCT denies bomb blast rumour

    •NEMA, police: no explosion in Abuja 

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has denied the rumour of another bomb blast, said to have occurred in Abuja on Saturday evening.

    The Permanent Secretary, FCT, John Chukwu, an engineer, described the rumour as unfounded, saying there was no explosion in Abuja.

    He urged residents to be calm and go about their businesses, as the police and other security agents had combed the area without any sign of an explosion.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday that there was no bomb explosion on Saturday night in Karu, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory.

    The Abuja operations coordinator of NEMA, Mr. Ishaya Chonoko, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said the blast heard in the area came from a quarry company, which operatedwithout the permission of the police.

    “I live in Karu, there was nothing like bomb blast in Karu; it was a quarry company that carried out that balst,” he said.

    The police command Abuja also debunked the news of the bomb explosion.

    Police spokesman Anjuguri Manzah told NAN that personnel of the command had gone round the area and found nothing like a bomb explosion.

  • FCT CJ frees 24 inmates on health, age grounds

    Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Justice Ishaq Bello, yesterday freed 24 inmates on health and age grounds from the Kuje Prisons.

    The chief judge discharged the inmates during his visit to the prisons.

    Bello said there was a panel of Judges set to look into some cases of the inmates in order to accelerate hearing of their cases.

    He urged some of the judges to grant bail to robbery cases.

    “Where bail is granted and could not be perfected then we look at the terms if they are that harsh and not attainable then we direct a review,” he said.

    The CJ further urged the prison officials to enable inmates awaiting trial contact their relations when the need arose.

    He ordered the prison officials to make available the authentic medical records of inmates to accelerate onward delivery of justice.

    He said the two non-Nigerian citizens that were discharged, hailed from Chad and Niger republic, and would need to be assisted by the Nigeria Immigration Service to get to their respective embassies.

    “We could not release them like that because one is mentally retarded and the other is critically ill,” Bello said.

    Deputy Controller, Kuje Prisons, Mr. Innocent Onoja, said there were 914 inmates and 724 awaiting trial at the prison.

    He said there were inmates awaiting trials for 12 to 13 years in the prison and urged the CJ to grant the expectations of the inmates and to consider inmates that were critically ill and were 60 years and above.

    Amongst the discharged inmates on age grounds was Alhaji Abubakar Bello, a retired police officer, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for culpable homicide.

    He told reporters that he had been in detention since 1999.

  • FCT gives Area Council ultimatum on refuse 

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration has given the chairmen of the six Area Council one week deadline to clear all the heaps of refuse littering the area councils.

    FCT Permanent Secretary, John Chukwu expressed disappointment over the huge volume of waste in all the area councils and satellite towns.

    Chukwu who reminded them of the statutory responsibility of maintaining the environment, added that the ugly trend of heaps of garbage must immediately be reversed according to the change mantra of the Federal Government.

    Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary FCT, Muhammad Sule said this  in a press statement. He said  Chukwu gave the instruction during an emergency meeting on the state of environment in the Area Councils and Satellite Towns.

    He added: “Chukwu during the meeting expressed disappointment over the poor state of environment as well as the huge volume of waste in all the Area Councils.

    “The Permanent Secretary reminded the Council Chairmen of their statutory responsibilities of 100 per cent maintenance of the environment; stressing that cleanliness is next to godliness.

    “He reiterated that the ugly trend of heaps of garbage in all the Area Councils and Satellite Towns must immediately be reversed in line with the change mantra of the Federal Government.

    “Chukwu warned that the Chairmen are elected leaders; noting that Councils’ elections are around the corner and therefore the people are going to hold them accountable.

    “He insisted that enough is enough; saying that the Council Chairmen must sit up as this sorry state cannot be allowed to continue in the Territory.

    “The Permanent Secretary emphasised that Abuja is one of the most important places in the country, being the abode of Mr. President, members of the National Assembly, highest ranking judicial officers in the country as well as members of the diplomatic community; and therefore the window in which the world sees Nigeria.

    “All hands must be on deck to keep the environment of the entire 8,000 square kilometres of the Federal Capital Territory very clean to showcase the city to the world.”

  • Police restates commitment to rid FCT of criminals

    Police restates commitment to rid FCT of criminals

    The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, has assured residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of the command’s commitment to rid the territory of criminals.

    Wilson gave the assurance at a meeting with Media Executives, motor mechanics and panel beaters in Abuja on Monday.

    “We want to assure you that our raid on black spots in the territory is ongoing and some arrests and discoveries have been made,“ he said.

    He said that the meeting was part of the strategies adopted by the command to fight crime in the territory.

    “The police will continue to interface with members of the community for safe environment.

    “FCT is safe and secure, there are no major issues of concerns, but we are on red alert,“ he said.

    The commissioner said that all entrance and exit points into the territory were secure.

    He said that the command’s operation was not limited to the city centre alone but also to the satellite settlements.

    Wilson assured that the command would not hesitate to punish any personnel for any acts of indiscipline in the course of carrying out their duty.

    “The Command will not condone any acts of indiscipline, we will deal decisively with it,“ he said.

    On the cases of car theft in the territory, he urged motor mechanics and panel beaters to always report to the police before painting or replacing parts of accident vehicles.

    “We must know why you are changing the colour or part of the vehicle, “ he said.

    He added that there would be massive operation by personnel of the command against unpainted taxis operating in the territory.

    Wilson said that the command would work in collaboration with the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation and FCT Transportation Department, to allow painted taxis access to some places.

    He said that the command was collaborating with neighbouring states of Kogi, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger to check crime.

    The commissioner commended the media for partnering with the command in the fight against crime in the territory.

    Contributing, Chris Okenwa of We FM radio, urged the commissioner to ensure that residents of satellite towns in the FCT benefited from services of the police.

    Mr. Chris Agbambu, Abuja Bureau Chief of the Nigerian Tribune, commended the efforts of the command in responding quickly to distress calls by residents

     

  • Police arrest nine robbery suspects in FCT

    Police arrest nine robbery suspects in FCT

    The Police Command in FCT has arrested nine `one chance’ robbery suspects, who disguised as cab operators to rob unsuspecting passengers of their valuables in the FCT and its environs.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Anjuguri Manzah, in Abuja on Friday.

    The statement stated that the arrest was as a result of the renewed effort of the command to rid the territory of hoodlums.

    It stated that it arrested some handbag snatchers who were currently in the custody of the police undergoing investigation.

    The suspects, it stated, had made confessional statements and the Commissioner of Police in FCT, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, had ordered their arraignment in court as soon as investigations were concluded.

    It also stated that the command had busted a notorious armed robbery syndicate and recovered arms and ammunition from them.

    [ad id=”403656″]“The gallant operatives of the command have successfully busted a notorious armed robbery syndicate that was operating at Zenco Garden Estate Lugbe.

    “This feat was achieved during a gun duel between the syndicate and police personnel while responding to a distress call that the gang was carrying out a major robbery operation at the Estate,’’ it said.

    The statement added that Inalegwu commended the police personnel for the gallantry and resilience, and enjoined other personnel of the command to follow suit.

    It stated that the police recovered one pump action gun with four live cartridges, one giant iron bar, assorted mobile handsets and one giant iron cutter, among others.

    The statement further said that the police also recovered 26 bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp after a joint raid by the Joint Task Force at `Bakasi’, Apo round about.

    It stated that the suspect arrested and substance recovered during the raid would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, FCT Command, for further investigation and prosecution.

  • FG rules out forceful eviction of IDPs in FCT

    FG rules out forceful eviction of IDPs in FCT

    Three agencies of the Federal Government have assured internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja that they will not be forcefully evicted from their current camps until the government was able to permanently resettle them.

    The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Bem Angwe, Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammed Sani Sidi and Director, Internal Security, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Isaac Idu gave this assurance in Abuja Wednesday.

    They spoke at a meeting of a committee set up to address the plight of IDPs in the FCT, including facilitating their proper resettlement.

    Angwe said from interaction with the IDPs, most of them were willing to return to their home towns.

    He said it was the responsibility of the relevant government agencies to help facilitate the return of the IDPs to the home, and ensure they are properly resettled.

    Sidi, who corroborated Angwe’s position, said his agency was ready to work with the NHRC and other related agencies in ensuring the rights of the IDPs are not violated.

    “We will ensure their safe return to their home states in dignified manner. They will not be forcefully evicted from their current camps, but will be help to relocate,” Sidi said.

    Idu said the Office of the National Security Adviser was in support of efforts to address problems being experienced by IDPs.

    He assured that “We will not engage in forceful eviction of the IDPs. But will assist in efforts to ensure they are well catered for.”

    About 500 IDPs residing in an uncompleted estate in Apo, FCT had, on August 14 protested at the NHRC headquarters over alleged threat to evict them. The protest let to the setting up of the committee head by Oparah to workout modalities for sending the IDPs back to their various camps in their states of origin and sensitize the people in that regard.