The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FCTA

  • FCTA tackles Nyanya gridlock

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is taking steps to bring the notorious gridlock on Nyanya-Karu-Jikwoyi-Karshi Road to an end. The gridlock, known to keep commuters stranded for hours, is the worst in the FCT.

    FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello made the revelation when he inaugurated a ministerial task force to decongest traffic along the Abuja-Nyanya- Karu-Jikwoyi-Karshi Road as well as evacuate accumulated refuse from the area.

    Bello said that it is unacceptable that a dual carriageway well-constructed to the highest engineering standards has become a long stretch of refuse dump.

    Chief Press Secretary to the Minister, Cosmas Uzodinma made this known in a press statement in which the minister said, “For the first time in my life, I have seen a place inhabited by very vibrant people, very affluent, yet it is one aspect of Abuja where I see that people will collect their refuse and drop on the road median. I have never seen that anywhere in the world and definitely you all agree with me that this is not acceptable and should not be part of the Abuja of our dream.”

    He also added, “The goal of the initiative is to work out a sustainable action that will improve both the aesthetics and traffic situation along that axis and one that would be owned by the people after the task force might have completed its work.

    Uzodinma added, “The Minister expressed confidence that given the caliber of the Chairman of the task force, and its membership, he was sure that by the time the team was done with its assignment in the next six months, the city would be the better for it.

    “In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Ministerial Task Force on Traffic Decongestion on Abuja-Nyanya-Jikwoyi-Karshi Road, Maj. Gen Emmanuel Nienge (rtd), said the task force will complete its assignment within the allotted timeframe as it has already hit the ground running and holding series of preliminary meetings with members and other stakeholders.

    “While soliciting for the cooperation of the stakeholders and the general public, the Chairman said the Task Force will carry out adequate sensitization to inform members of the public on their activities.”

  • FCTA to clean up abattoirs

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through its Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS) has announced plans to begin an intensive clean-up of all abattoirs in the Territory.

    This followed an approval by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, for the clean-up exercise, aimed at guaranteeing public health safety, particularly meat consumers.

    Accordingly, the ARDS plans to embark on more sensitisation campaign, to create adequate public awareness on the objectives of the clean-up.

    The Acting Secretary of the Agric Secretariat, Dr. Musa Aliyu has visited Karu and Kubwa abattoirs where he sued for cooperation of butchers in the FCT.

    He stressed that the clean-up exercise was in the best interest of butchers, as it will help to eliminate encumbrances in their operations.

    Over time, various abattoirs had been associated with unwholesome practices in meat-handling and poor sanitary conditions within the environment as well as non-standardization of their operations.

    Also, in many of the facilities, some operators erected illegal structures that became a base for prohibited activities and hideout for criminals, drug peddlers and commercial sex workers.

  • FCTA pleads with striking cleaners

    Striking cleaners at the office complex of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister and its other agencies and departments have been urged to be patient as the administration is working hard to pay their three-month salary arrears.

    Many aggrieved cleaners, mostly widows and orphans last Monday, once again down tools, and staged a protest over non-payment of salary arrears owed them by the administration.

    However, the Director, Information and Communication at the FCTA, Mrs. Stella Ojeme, during an interview, described the strike action as unfortunate, as the Administration was actually working on resolving the issue, before they (the cleaners) decided that they were going on strike.

    Attributing the delay in payment of May, June and July salaries to the striking cleaners to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) regime, the Director noted that their cadres as well as that of the secretaries and the directors were affected by the federal government monetary policy.

    The Director, told The Nation that the Acting Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Salisu Mohammed, on Monday, had a meeting with the striking cleaners, where he assured them that their salaries will be paid fully.

    According to her, because the striking cleaners came in as casual staff, the FCTA authorities are trying to do some proper alignment (paper work), in line with TSA regime.

    Mrs. Ojeme adds: “Some of them just submitted their Bank Verification Number (BVN), so they had to put everything together to be sure that there is no ghost worker among them, and start to pay them. He (acting permanent secretary) has promised them that they would be paid their May, June and July salaries. I was there with him, when he sent for the relevant files, and started processing it. Unfortunately, the cleaners were not patient.

    “The FCTA 2016 budget had just been passed by the National Assembly, and we are still awaiting the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari, before it becomes law. Then, there would be available funds to pay them their outstanding salaries.

    “They were being paid all this while before the month of May, but right now, the acting Permanent Secretary is asking for their patience and understanding.

    “I’m not saying that we should owe them, it’s not what had been planned, but the fund was not available. However, I can assure they would be paid soon. My message to them is that they should be patient as this issue will be resolved very soon.”

    Asked how the FCTA officials within are coping with the situation, she said: “Like my own office, my staff helps in cleaning the place, but for some officials who don’t feel that they need to have their offices cleaned are managing to stay in it like that pending when the striking cleaners will resume work there.”

    Meanwhile, it was gathered that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, on return from yesterday’s commissioning of the Abuja-Kaduna railway transport service by President Muhammadu Buhari, issued a directive for the immediate payment of the three-month salary arrears owned the cleaners.

  • FCTA prioritises infrastructure in budget

    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has proposed to spend N241, 467,231,031 this fiscal year for its capital and recurrent expenditures.

    FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello made this known during the defence of the 2016 FCT Statutory budget before the Senate Committee on FCT at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

    The minister said of the N241,467,231,031 proposed, N149,056,610,051 which represents 61.73 percent goes to capital expenditure.

    Bello said personnel cost is N52, 371,352,360 which also represents 21.69 percent of the total expenditure.

    According to him, the overhead is the least with N40, 039,268,620 out of the N241, 467,231,031 which is 16.58 percent.

    While saying that this year’s budget is a departure from the previous ones because of the importance his administration attaches to infrastructural development of the entire Federal Capital Territory, the minister disclosed that N2,400,000,000 has been set aside for debt servicing.

    In a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister assured that attention would mostly be given to on-going projects this fiscal year to fast track solid development of the Federal Capital Territory.

    Bello further assured that the cleanliness of Abuja remains a top priority of his administration and that was why there was a complete change of leadership at the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) which is now being assisted with an enforcement team of 200 security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps led by a retired Squadron Leader.

    The minister emphasised that significant activities would be noticed in that area because cleanliness has no alternative.

    In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Dino Malaye promised that his Committee will work assiduously to pass the Appropriation Bill into law.

    The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, Acting Secretaries of Mandate Secretariats, Directors as well as other top officials of the FCT Administration accompanied the FCT Minister to the Budget Defence.

  • FCTA prioritises infrastructure in budget

    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has proposed to spend N241, 467,231,031 this fiscal year for its capital and recurrent expenditures.

    FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello made this known during the defence of the 2016 FCT Statutory budget before the Senate Committee on FCT at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

    The minister said of the N241,467,231,031 proposed, N149,056,610,051 which represents 61.73 percent goes to capital expenditure.

    Bello said personnel cost is N52, 371,352,360 which also represents 21.69 percent of the total expenditure.

    According to him, the overhead is the least with N40, 039,268,620 out of the N241, 467,231,031 which is 16.58 percent.

    While saying that this year’s budget is a departure from the previous ones because of the importance his administration attaches to infrastructural development of the entire Federal Capital Territory, the minister disclosed that N2,400,000,000 has been set aside for debt servicing.

    In a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister assured that attention would mostly be given to on-going projects this fiscal year to fast track solid development of the Federal Capital Territory.

    Bello further assured that the cleanliness of Abuja remains a top priority of his administration and that was why there was a complete change of leadership at the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) which is now being assisted with an enforcement team of 200 security personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps led by a retired Squadron Leader.

    The minister emphasised that significant activities would be noticed in that area because cleanliness has no alternative.

    In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Dino Malaye promised that his Committee will work assiduously to pass the Appropriation Bill into law.

    The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, Acting Secretaries of Mandate Secretariats, Directors as well as other top officials of the FCT Administration accompanied the FCT Minister to the Budget Defence.

     

  • FCTA’s N76.5m for Japanese partnership

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has released  N76.5 million as part its counterpart fund for various projects in the Territory by the Japanese government.

    The partnership is coordinated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

    FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello said this while receiving a delegation of JICA led by its Country Senior Representative, Mr. Hiroshi Kodama in his office.

    The minister said that N46.5 million out of the N76.5 million is the counterpart funding for integrated solid waste management system in the FCT under the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).

    Bello revealed that the balance of N30 million is to serve as its share for the water sub-sector projects including metering of water consumers in the FCT, adding that the project would greatly reduce water leakages on the main trunk line.

    According to the statement issued by the Deputy Director/ Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the Minister said it was very important for the city to have a comprehensive waste management system that would be in place for the benefits of all residents.

    He stated that the FCTA is working to expand access to the dumpsites and also create more access roads into the sites so that the refuse disposal trucks can go in simultaneously from three different entry points.

    According to him, this will ensure that waste is properly disposed at the dumpsites.

    He lamented that the absence of enough entering points to site has made some trucks to dispose wastes on the site indiscriminately.

    The Minister also harped on the need for waste to be properly sorted in the Federal Capital Territory for recycling and other purposes, thereby improving their economic values; adding that waste is wealth.

    His words: “It is very clear that for us to achieve proper waste management in the city, we have to have a system of sorting that will clearly differentiate between the plastics, glasses, metals, the soft waste that you can make into biomass as well as the other solid wastes. This as you know, we don’t have in the system.”

    Bello expressed the desire of the FCT Administration to also partner with JICA on waste management in the FCT Area Councils and satellite towns; saying it would serve as blueprint for practical waste management system in the entire Territory.

    “In the satellite towns, the waste is just being dumped on the streets in the water drainage systems. I have tried for the last eight weeks to move round the satellite towns to work on public awareness, to explain that you don’t just pick your waste and put it in the drainages. The municipal agents are not collecting it and the waste is just solidifying and piling up on the drainage system. Then the rains come, the drains are over flooded,” he added.

    The minister thanked JICA for the solar powered project it is carrying out at the Lower Usuma Dam water treatment plants; stressing that it is a big relief to the Administration.

    “We spend a lot of money to buy diesel for the generators there, since they have to work for 24 hours. If we can get some relief by using the solar system, that is a welcome development,” he said.

    Speaking earlier, the JICA Country Senior Representative, Mr. Hiroshi Kodama noted that JICA has several knowledge and skills particularly in the area of agriculture that it is willing to share with the people of the FCT.

    Kodama recalled that last year; JICA organized a workshop in Gwagwalada on rice cultivation technology especially on improved parboiling technology aimed at improving the quality of rice production in the Territory.

    He said, “For the farmers, we at JICA have a new marketing technology that we call SHEP, (Small Holder Horticulture Empowerment Project).”

  • Insurgency: FCTA to establish emergency committees

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced a plan to set up an emergency management committee in each of the six area councils to immediately cater for vistims of insurgency.

    Director Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Emergency Agency, Alhaji Abbas Idriss explained that officials of the local emergency would be the first responders.

    Public Relations Officer, FCT Emergency Agency Josephine Mudasiru revealed this in a statement.

    The statement quoted Idriss as saying that the first responders at the recent bomb blasts would have been officials of the local emergency agency if they had been set up by then.

    She also stated,”Referring to the recent bomb blast in Kuje Area Council, the Director said that if the LEMCs had been in place they would have been the first people on the scene before the arrival of FEMA and other stakeholders.

    “Alhaji Abbas Idris reiterated the importance of the local Emergency Committee in risk reduction; pointing out the fact that LEMCs are resident at the scene of disasters, they respond promptly thereby reducing the number of casualties against waiting for assistance from the city.

  • FCTA teams up with security agencies against crime

    The FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. John Chukwu has assured that the FCT Administration will continue to support security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory to make Abuja safer.

    Chukwu gave this assurance while receiving the new Commander of the AHQ Garrison, Abuja, Brigadier-General Abba Dikko who paid him a working visit in his office.

    He remarked that Abuja is the seat of government of Nigeria and therefore needs more security attention considering that the city is the window in which the world sees Nigeria.

    According to him, Abuja hosts Mr. President, members of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the federation as well as members of the diplomatic community and therefore every effort must be made to ensure adequate security of lives and property of the residents.

    He emphasised that security agents are stakeholders in project Abuja and stressed that FCT Administration will continue to cooperate and partner with them.

    The Permanent Secretary reiterated that the Administration will continue to carry out its statutory functions of city management diligently and promised to assist in solving the environmental and ecological problems affecting the Mogadishu Barracks.

  • FCTA impounds 56 bags of cannabis

    FCTA impounds 56 bags of cannabis

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has impounded 56 bags of cannabis.

    FCTA’s Permanent Secretary John Chukwu spoke after his meeting with the FCT Task Team on City Management. He said the task team discovered the drugs in a depot during its covert operation at Tura-Bura, behind Apo roundabout in Abuja.

    “The Task Team discovered the hard drugs in a depot during its covert operation at Tura-Bura, behind Apo Roundabout.

    “The FCT Administration is gladdened by the proactive activity of the Task Team for this major discovery which would reduce crime in Abuja and environs.

    “These 56 bags of cannabis and sundry hard drugs will have a positive multiplier effect on the fight against criminal activities in Abuja because most crimes are committed under the influence of hard drugsm,” Chukwu said.

    Chukwu urged the team to rededicate itself to the onerous task of riding Abuja of all environmental nuisances and criminal activities, even as he craved for the residents understanding.

  • FCTA gets media department, new CPS

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration has established a media and communication department as part of efforts to better interface with the public.

    To this end, the FCT Administration carried out mass redeployment of information officers who were recently promoted.

    Those affected in the redeployment exercise are officers who were promoted to the rank of Deputy Director and they include Mrs. Grace Zamani, Mr. Cosmos Uzodima and Mr. Mohammad Hazat Sule.

    Our correspondents gathered that Mrs. Zamani has been moved from Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) to Public Enlightenment and Civic Orientation, Mr. Uzodima was equally moved from Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) to Research and Publication Division, while Mr. Sule has been moved from office of the Chief Press Secretary to

    Media and Communication Division.

    In a two paragraph letter from the office of Establishment and Training dated July 2, 2015 and made available to our correspondent stated that all redeployments are with immediate effect.

    The letter signed by the Chief Admin. Officer of the Department, Mr. Omosoluyi Bamidele on behalf of the Director reads in part: “I am directed to inform you that approval has been given for your redeployment to Department of Information and Communication Headquarters with immediate effect. You are expected to hand over to Anthony Ogunleye (CIO) who is being informed by a copy of this letter to take over from you.

    “You are therefore to report to the Ag. Director, Information and Communication for further posting instructions please.”

    It will be recalled that the new Chief Press Secretary, Ogunleye joined the service of FCT Administration in 1994 as Information Officer. Until his appointment, he was the Public Relations Officer of Education Secretariat of the FCT Administration where he effectively coordinated other agencies in the Secretariat.

    He equally served as Head of Public Relations in Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat and Health and Human Services Secretariat.

    Ogunleye is happily married and the union is blessed with children.