The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FCTA

  • FCTA demolishes ALGON building in Abuja

    FCTA demolishes ALGON building in Abuja

    The Development Control Unit of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished a three-storey building at the national headquarters of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) at Eller Crescent, Maitama, Abuja.

    The building, said the District Officer in charge of the area, Isah Aliyu, was being erected on a pathway in a close.

    He said several quit notices had been served on the building, even from the foundation stage, but the owner did not show up at the Development Control Unit to prove the legality or otherwise of the land.

    Aliyu said several attempts to compel the security man, who was found at the site, to receive copies of the papers, were abortive. He reportedly failed to receive them.

     

     

     

     

  • Committee inaugurated on chieftaincy tussle

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has constituted a ministerial committee on Kwali chieftaincy tussle to ensure a peaceful resolution.

    The committee is headed by the Senator representing FCT in the Senate and Chairman of Senate Committee on Power, Senator Philip Aduda.

    Its members include: Hon Isa Igah Dobi representing Abaji,Gwagwalada,Kuje and Kwali area councils in the House of Representatives, Hon. Isa Igah Dobi representing Abuja Municipal Area Council and Bwari Area Council in the House of Representatives, Hon. Zaphanian

    Bitrus Jisalo; Secretary of Area Council Services Secretariat, Hon. Yahaya Alhassan Gwagwa; Chairman of Kwali Area Council, Hon. Daniel Ibrahim; Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party in FCT, Hon. Yunusa Suleiman, and Chairman of All Nigeria Progressive Party, Hon. Abdulmalik Usman.

    Other members are: Ona of Abaji and Chairman of FCT Council of Chiefs, HRH Adamu Baba Yunasa; Sarkin Karshi, HRH Mohammed Ismaila; Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of FCT on Political Affairs, Senator Usman Wowo; Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Area Council, Alhaji Yusuf Tsaiyabu; Director of State Security Service in FCT, Mr. John Okogie; Divisional Police Officer in Kwali Area Council, Chief Superintendent of Police Umoru Ozigi and Assistant Director in Area Council Services Secretariat, Mr. Prospect Ibe, who is to serve as secretary of the committee.

    Inaugurating the committee, the Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, stressed the need for peaceful coexistence, stability and progress in the various communities in the territory.

    “The various indigenous communities in the FCT have long standing history, culture and traditions which pre-date the colonial era. In a bid to sustain the relevance of these institutions, the Federal Government upgraded some indigenous traditional stools to various classes.

    “It is worthy of note that these institutions which are legally backed up with the Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Act No. 7 of 1998, have played significant roles in the peaceful co-existence and overall development of the Federal Capital Territory,” said Akinjide.

    The minister disclosed that the FCT Administration had made determined efforts to resolve all issues arising from the upgrading of some indigenous traditional stools to various classes.

    “The constitution of this ministerial committee is to further consolidate the efforts of government at ensuring a peaceful resolution of the Kwali Chieftaincy issue so as to foster peace, harmony and brotherhood in the area council,” she added.

    She advised members of the committee to review all previous reports of various committees on chieftaincy in the FCT such as the Justice Mamman Nasir’s Committee on the Future Administration of the FCT and Justice Abubakar Saddiq’s Committee on Operationalisation of Chieftaincy in FCT, among others.

    Responding on behalf of the members, the Chairman of the committee, Senator Philip Aduda, assured that the committee would be fair and firm in discharging its responsibility.

    “This is history being made today and we (members) have to ensure that we live up to expectations and ensure peaceful co-existence. Any member of the committee who has other interest will have to leave the committee in order not to jeopardize its report,” Aduda noted.

    The Permanent Secretary, FCT, Engr. John Obinna Chukwu, identified the terms of reference of the committee to include:

    *  To critically examine the Chieftaincy structure in Kwali Area Council vis-à-vis the FCT Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Act 1997; * To review the reports of previous committees on Kwali Chieftaincy Matter; *  To determine the status of existing traditional stools in the Area Council and to make specific recommendations on each; *  To engage community leaders and other stakeholders for advice and contributions to enrich the quality of the committee’s deliberations; * To make general recommendations on the peaceful resolution of all identified problems; and *  To make any other recommendation that will forestall similar problems in other parts of the FCT.

     

  • NUJ panel to probe alleged blackmail, extortion

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has inaugurated a three-man committee to investigate allegations of blackmail and extortion levelled against Mallam Tukur Mamu, publisher of a Kaduna-based weekly magazine, Desert Herald, by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

    The FCTA recently accused Tukur of serial blackmail of the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed and an attempt to extort N15 million as gratification to discard a controversial book on alleged rot within the FCTA.

    The committee was inaugurated at a brief ceremony held at the national secretariat of the NUJ in Abuja by the union’s national President, Malam Garba Mohammed.

    The panel is chaired by a former Vice President of NUJ and a Deputy Director with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Mr. Gbenga Onayiga.

    The other two members of the committee are the Chairman of Kaduna State chapter of NUJ, Mallam Yusuf Idris and Mr. Akin Orimolade of the Daily Newswatch newspaper who will serve as secretary of the committee.

    Inaugurating the committee on, the NUJ President, Mallam Garba Mohammed urged the members to do a thorough job, stressing that the image and integrity of the union were at stake due to rampant unethical practices.

    He formally handed over the petitions and other documents received on the matter to the committee chairman, Onayiga.

    Speaking on behalf of the members, Onayiga assured the president and members that they would do a thorough job by discharging their duties dispassionately.

    He pledged to be neutral and fair to all the parties concerned. The event was attended by the Deputy President of the union, chairmen of 10 state chapters of the union and four vice presidents of the NUJ among others.

    For nearly two months there has been altercation between the FCTA and the Desert Herald Magazine following the latter’s claim to have written a 284-page book detailing alleged rot in the FCTA.

    Following repeated publication of the allegation in successive editions of the magazine and a particular national newspaper (Leadership), the FCTA recently wrote a petition to the NUJ and the Nigerian Guild of Editors calling on them to call the magazine to order and investigate an alleged attempt by its publisher, Mallam Tukur Mamu to extort N15 million from the FCT Minister Senator Bala Mohammed through his SA Media, Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi.

     

  • Agency takes measures against flooding

    As part of effort to prevent flooding, the Department of Urban Affairs of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council said structures at flood- prone areas and under high tension wire will soon be demolished.

    The FCTA said many of the buildings close to the flood plains have already been  marked for demolition and clearing of drains has begun to allow free flow of water

    The Acting Directorof the department, Alhaji Liman Ibrahim disclosed this in Abuja at the flag-off of FCT flood awareness campaign.

    The one -week sensitisation campaign that would be carried out in all the six area councils may not be unconnected with the recent predictions by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET).

    Ibrahim stated that the sensitisation campaign was a wake-up call by all stakeholders to prepare for flood and adopt measures aimed at preventing, averting and containing flooding incidents.

    According to him, “it is a wake-up call on our relevant stakeholders to take proactive measures towards preventing and tackling the incidence of flooding in the FCT, these measures include but not limited to clearance  of drains to allow for free flow of storm water, demolition of illegal structures built on flood as well as early warning system”.

    The sensitisation teams include officials from National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Fire Service, and Abuja Metropolitan Management Council.

    Part of the flood- prone areas visited includes Dutse Alhaji, Dutse Magaranta, and Kubwa all in Buhari Area Council.

     

  • FCT slates media walk for sickle cell

    FCT slates media walk for sickle cell

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has expressed its readiness to sensitise residents on sickle cell anaemia this month.

    The Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Ademola Onakomaiya, said this at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja.

    He decried the stigma as well as sicklers’ lukewarm interest in sensitisation programmes.

    “I intend to call people with sickle cell disease, people that are genotipically challenged because it’s not their own doing , we have been doing a lot on that, we have been having loads of sensitisation programme with some NGOs and the department of public health.

    “We will enlighten them, empower them to know that this is you, you are better than the rest of us, you should explore your preventive strategy, don’t stress yourself, don’t do this emotionally. But because of the stigma associated with it, many people will not even want to come unless they have crisis, that is why it’s not that vibrant.

    “You know you empower people, when you empower them, they decide better. Prevention is better than cure.

    “We can have a media walk on sickle cell in July; it’s something that we can do. I tell people if we don’t do it, nobody will do it. Seventy per cent of our population is young. It’s for us to take charge of our country. It is for us to decide where we want to go”

    On bone marrow transplant as a cure for sickle cell anemia, he said, “You can have a bone marrow and die tomorrow and have sickle cell and live forever.”

    On the Karu District Hospital in FCT, the Secretary said it is expected to take off fully before the end of the year .

    The secretary said all the various equipments needed are already on ground.

    He said the contractors handling the construction of the hospital caused the delay,adding that the inability of the contractor to complete the job has brought untold hardship to residents of the area.

    The completion of the hospital, he further stressed, will reduce the problem of congestion in hospitals especially those in the city centre as well as the Asokoro and Nyanya General Hospitals.

    Expressing disappointment at the slow pace of work on the contract which was awarded in 2005, with a completion period of 84 weeks, he urged the company to work towards meeting up the deadline or have it revoked and given to a more serious contactor.

    According to him, four months is enough to complete the job insisting that the people of the area have suffered and that the FCT administration would not condone unserious approach towards important projects.

     

  • FCTA establishes new schools

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has established nine new Junior and two Senior Secondary schools in the last two years to accommodate the influx of pupils into the territory.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed said this in Abuja.

    Mohammed said that the ever-increasing population of Nigerians from all parts of the country trooping into Abuja has made the FCT Administration to expand its educational facilities to take care of their children and wards.

    The minister reiterated that the constant demographic changes is over stretching the infrastructure and facilities in the Federal Capital Territory and that his administration in consonance with the transformational dreams of President Goodluck Jonathan has been striving to meet up with such onerous challenge.

    According to him, the FCT Administration during the same period has construct six new prototype of a storey building of eight classrooms with toilets, office and store in four basic schools across the territory.

    The minister revealed that his administration has been able to complete 1,215 classrooms for basic schools in all the six area councils of the territory.

    He disclosed that the administration has also built six classrooms, seven staff quarters, landscaping, boys hostel, fence, drainages and sporting facilities at the School for the Handicapped, in Jabi, Abuja.

    Mohammed further disclosed that during the period, his administration was able to build two staff quarters, playground, landscaping and drainages at School for the Blind, Jabi-Abuja.

    “Two new Science Laboratories were constructed and furnished and three were fully renovated at the Senior Secondary Schools; while 40 Science and Intro Tech Laboratories were completed at Basic Education Level,” he added.

    His words: “Eighty sets of furniture were provided for Primary and Junior Secondary Schools while five libraries were constructed and furnished in Junior Secondary Schools across the territory”.

    The minister stated that 1,308,780 pupils/students textbooks and instructional materials were distributed to Basic Education Schools this year alone.

    Senator Mohammed also stated that the FCT Administration has set-up a Sustainable Energy Resource Centre in Karu, a suburb of Abuja.

    Apart from the completion of District Library at Bwari and Teachers Development Centre at Kwali, he further revealed that 1,697, Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) teachers were trained in ICT during the same period under review.

    The minister noted that his administration has provided borehole as well as electricity installations at the Abuja University of Technology, Abaji (AUTA) site.

    ”At the FCT College of Education, Zuba, Early Child Care Education Block; Youth Friendly Centre have been completed, and ICT Centre established”, Senator Mohammed stressed.”

  • FCTA to provide 3-digit emergency phone numbers

    FCTA to provide 3-digit emergency phone numbers

    The FCT Administration is to provide a three-digit emergency call numbers soon to prevent unforeseen disasters within the 8,000 square kilometres of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, who broke the news in Abuja, said that the arrangement, which has reached advanced stages, is in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

    According to him, these three-digit call numbers will soon be ready for use by the residents of the Federal Capital Territory.

    Mohammed said that two communication service providers had already hooked up. The remaining ones are yet to.

    Meanwhile, the minister has directed the Urban Affairs Department of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council to start a comprehensive sensitisation on flooding as the rains are already here.

    Mohammed said that the FCT Administration received an early warning from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on the dangers of flood.

    He instructed the Urban Affairs to write to stakeholders, including the Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) under the FCT Administration, such as the Development Control Department; Department Facilities Management & Maintenance; Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) on flood prevention to avert it.

    The minister also directed that all the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory be carried along in the Flood Prevention Campaign.

    Mohammed noted that all the communication service providers, including MTN, Globacom, Etisalat and Airtel are partners in the project.

  • FCTA to punish perpetrators of Abuja clash

    All those found culpable in the Gwari/Fulani clash in which two persons died in Gwako village, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrent, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has said.

    The minister spoke yesterday during an emergency meeting of stakeholders, including representatives of the Gwari and Fulani, at the secretariat of the Gwagwalada Area Council.

    He said: “Anybody found to be culpable or have participated in the perpetration of this heinous crime, whatever his or her position in society, will face the full wrath of the law.”

    The minister urged the people to live in peace with one another.

    He also set up a 15-member Reconciliation and Investigation Committee, headed by the FCT Police Commissioner Aderenle Shinaba.

    Muhammed urged members of the communities to ensure a harmonious co-existence amongst the residents.

    He noted that they have a history of living in unity.

  • FCTA mounts Clean and Green campaign

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has  carried out an extensive cleaning of Abaji and Kwali area councils of FCT.

    The cleaning exercise, evacuation of refuse dumps, sweeping and clearing of major areas in the area councils was supervised by the Head, Waste and Sanitation Management, Satellite Towns Development Agency (STDA),  Mr. Ahmad Abubakar.

    Speaking with journalists at the site, Mr. Abubakar, said 17 trucks of recycling materials were removed from Babambola (waste collectors).

    “It is the initiative of the present State Minister, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, and it has come a long way because we are evacuating the waste at a stage it would turn into recycling. We are equally sensitising the waste collectors that are collecting from house to house that we have a designated area for them to dump their waste.

    “The ‘Clean and Green’ is going a long way. Some areas where we evacuate we intend to turn them into neighbourhood parks, some of the communities have already taken over and some of them we had to provide securities in order to ensure enforcement.

    He added that “in the past administration the communities were not involved but now we sensitise the communities and motivate them”.

    On how the programme will be sustained, he said “We have a sustaining programme on waste programme.

    About 17 trucks of recycling materials were removed from Babambola. We are hoping to bring in investors that would help in the recycling programme,” he said.

    Madam Sarat, a resident of Agwa Ashara in Abaji praised the FCTA for the evacuation of the waste in her area.

    “ Since the inception of FCT, when they have been clearing refuse, this is the best clearing so far.

    “Actually the area council has been doing their best but this is the best so far,” she said.

    Head of Environment Department, Kwali Area Council, Mr. Yusuf Yaqub, said there are 12 refuse dump sites but had already evacuated six of the sites.

    “We want to ensure that everybody is involved in sanitation management because sanitation management is the work of everybody not by the government alone,” he said

  • ‘No going back on new meat haulage policy’

    ‘No going back on new meat haulage policy’

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that there would not be shift in its policy to ban rickety vehicles and motorcycles in the haulage of meat in the territory.

    It explained that the new policy was aimed at safeguarding the residents and visitors to the FCT from cholera outbreak and food contamination which have been observed in some states of the federation.

    The policy, which became effective on November 6, requires the use of dedicated meat vans and special purpose-made tricycles with meat haulage compartment for the movement of meat in the Federal Capital City, area councils as well as the satellite towns.

    The tricycle meat vans are to convey meat to distances not more than three kilometres from the slaughter points while the four-wheel meat vans are to serve longer distances.

    The FCTA disclosed that the implementation of the new policy followed

    meticulous sensitisation and meetings with the abattoir drivers cooperative societies and other stakeholders on its benefits.

    “The FCT Administration wishes to inform the public that the reforms being undertaken in the meat haulage business is in the overall interest of the residents. The previous means of hauling meat in rickety vehicles and motorcycles in FCT are no longer acceptable. They pose numerous health hazards to residents arising from contamination of the product.

    “The specifications for acceptable vehicles required for meat transportation are solely through the dedicated meat vans and special purpose-made tricycles with meat haulage compartment. The internal coverings of the meat compartment of the vehicles are stainless steel sheets. This is to ensure non-metal contamination of the meat,” the administration stated.

    The FCT Administration warned that it would not be blackmailed by any organisation or group of persons to review a law that will safeguard the lives of the residents.

    It advised any organisation or group of persons interested in the meat haulage business to comply with the new policy.

    “The importance of consumption of hygienic food in improving the quality of life of the populace cannot be overemphasised. Meat, being a perishable produce, must be handled right or it may endanger the public health,” the administration further stated.

    It urged the Nigeria Police, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Federal Road Safety Corps and Directorate of Road Traffic Services to enforce the new meat haulage regulation in Territory.

    It noted that the effective enforcement of the regulation was an important thrust in ensuring best practices in meat handling in the FCT.