Bello Pledges Support for Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation
…Named Foundation’s Ambassador
Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has promised that the FCT Administration will support the initiatives of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in the FCT.
He made this known during a courtesy visit by representatives of the foundation’s board of trustees and management to the FCT Administration,
Bello recalled how the late Sir. Ahmadu Bello had a significant impact on his life as a child and student as well as the lives of many other Nigerians.
Additionally, the Minister thanked the Foundation for its charitable efforts in the nation’s capital, particularly for its donation to the FCT at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Bello was also decorated as an Ambassador of the Foundation during the visit by the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu who led the delegation and commended the good work the Minister is doing in the FCT while also thanking him for his support for the Foundation.
Speaking on the activities of the Foundation, Dr. Aliyu said it was deeply involved in the education sector with the provision of scholarships to indigent students whom he said were doing very well in their academic pursuits.
He also used the opportunity to call on Nigerians with the means to sponsor indigent students through school, to do so.
He equally spoke on the legacies of Sir. Ahmadu Bello whom he described as a detribalized Nigerian. He said “There was no discrimination in terms of religion or tribe. All the stories you hear were of unifying the people”.
“We need to remind our children and ourselves that there are values in the northern region that you must stick with if you want to remain united and develop properly”, he added.
Present at the meeting were the Secretary of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, its Director General and CEO, Engr. Abubakar Gambo Umar, Chief of Staff to the Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu, Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Shehu Hadi, and other officials of the Foundation and the FCTA.
Rotary First Female President Takes Over, Unveils Sustainable Projects for 2022–2023
In order to increase both local and global effect, Rotarian Hajia Zainab Omowunmi Owonikoko, the Rotary Club of Abuja Garki Neighborhood’s first female president, has announced its sustainable objectives and programs for the year 2022-2023.
The Club’s priorities typically revolve around promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, helping with education, boosting local economies, and protecting the environment, she said in her speech at the official flag-off of the Rotary year 2022-2023 on Friday in Abuja.
According to Owonikoko, who will be in charge of managing Club activities in District 9125 Nigeria for the foreseeable future, family health outreach initiatives are one of our Club’s yearly projects. Competition for a career lecture and quiz competition for schools in FCT, organizing Polio /Covid-19 seminars, rallies, road shows as well as ponsorship of 20 Youths to Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA).
She added that others are: “Water & sanitation project (A joint project with our sponsored interact Club) tree planting/environmental Sanitation in our sponsor schools in FCT, economic & community development projects (women empowerment, donation of sewing machine, donation of grinding machine).
“Donation of Wheel Chairs to School of the Blind, donation of exercise books and school, donation of Laboratory equipment to our sponsored schools, donation of Medical Equipment to Health Center in our adopted Village, 1 year full scholarship to 30 indigent students and donation of Computers and Accessories to our sponsored school in FCT”.
“Having kept all our objectives of development of acquaintance and fellowship to promote vocational excellence and pursuit of service above self since 1905.
“Rotary International has therefore contributed to the promotion of peace and understanding globally through uncountable humanitarian services and project. We are united by common values and vision for the future as we sharpen our focus with targeted specific causes that will reach communities most in need.
“We therefore invite
the kind hearted public and private organizations to partner with us in donating/sponsoring of club programs/projects during the year 2022/23″, she stated.
Owonikoko, having emerged as the first female Club President officially assumed office Friday, July 1st, to pilot the affairs of the Club and work towards the actualisation of Rotary goals and ideal of service during the year.
Flooding: FCTA Demolishes 135 Houses, Illegal Structures on Waterways
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) carried out its threat to destroy over 135 of such structures, including homes and entertainment centers, on Friday in the Dutse Makaranta neighborhood of the capital.
The residents of the area, which has a history of floods, were painted a gloomy image by the 2022 Flood Outlook.
Comrade Ikharo Attah, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, who was in charge of the demolition team, claimed that the government had kept sending notices to the affected residents, the majority of whom had evacuated with their belongings but few had stayed.
According to him: “We were here on Wednesday and commenced operations. We came back today to remove other structures along the flood plains.
“Like I said earlier, we thank God the rain fell last Sunday afternoon at about 1pm and 2pm when many had left the churches and schools were closed. The water got to the window levels but thank God the people had fled. The casualties here would have been extremely massive. The casualty figure would have been very alarming of the rain had fallen at night.
“Many of the men here told is that most of these areas used to be a football field, but somehow, somebody sold the football field to them to build structures and that is very painful and pathetic.
“We targeted pulling down over 100 buildings and structures but from what we have seen now, having entered inside the street, there could be week over 200 structures that may need to give way.
“From what we did on Wednesday and today, we have so far pulled down over 135 structures with many billed to still go down. The more we go in, the more we see extremely damp structures around the banana plantation. You see houses that are damp up to the roofing level and this is unacceptable. It is not safe and we won’t won’t for flood to occur before we take measures”, he stated.
One of the residents of the area who simply identified herself as Ngozi admitted that her drinking spot was located on a flood channel, saying she did not build permanent structures because she had foreseen the action of government.
“I foresaw this and so, I evacuated my belongings. On behalf of my colleagues and residents here, we are only asking for more time to relocate”, she stated.
N29BN Ground Rent Debt: Defaulters To Forfeit Property
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rents of N29, 506,643,943.98 commences work and vowed that property owners who have failed to pay risk prosecution, revocation, or outright forfeiture.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) set up this Coordinating Committee after several appeals and notices served the affected property owners, yet they remain adamant.
It would be recalled that the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Adesola Olusade, recently established a debt recovery committee with the goal of collecting unpaid debts owed to the FCT Administration, with a focus on ground rents and other miscellaneous fees in the Land Administration and other departments with a connection to land.
This was contained in a statement by Director, Information & Communication, FCT/Chairman, Media & Publicity Sub-Committee, Muhammad Hazat Sule which a copy was made available to newsmen in Abuja.
Accordingly, the Committee is expected to formally start communicating to the affected persons and corporate bodies as from Friday, July 1, 2022, after which those who failed to comply by paying their outstanding debt would be prosecuted.
The Administration is forced to adopt these measures due to the non-compliant by the affected individuals and corporate organizations.
Government, therefore, wish that the affected debtors will come forward and clear their outstanding debts to avoid prosecution, revocation, and forfeiture of their property.
The Recovery Committee has already swung into action and perfected modalities towards achieving this onerous task, because the government needs resources to execute essential infrastructural projects in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Committee, which has since been meeting to fine tune strategies for the task ahead, also warned debtors of dire consequences should they allow the committee to fully execute its mandate, if they refused to pay the outstanding land fees.
The Committee wishes to assure that it will rigorously carry out its mandate to the latter, because ‘no stone will be left unturned’, in carrying out the assignment.
FCTA Set to Revoke Park Operators License’s Over Debt
Park operators have been issued one final warning by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through its Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency (AMMC) to settle their ground debt or face revocation.
They lamented the amount of debt owed to the FCT administration by pack operators at the time, claiming that some haven’t made payments since the land was assigned to them in 2007.
Furthermore, operators who refuse to benefit from the administration’s kind offer and keep missing payments risk having their Parks taken, their licenses canceled, and their facilities transferred to operators who comply with the law.
The AMMC Coordinator, Tlp. Usmar Shuaibu, spoke on behalf of the administration during a press conference on the verification and updating of Park Data on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to him: “The recovery of outstanding revenues will be carried out with a human face as government in its magnanimity has granted indebted operators discounts and the option of paying in installments in order to cushion the financially devastating effect of block payment on the activities of operators.
“Operators may obtain details of this discount arrangement as well as information on installment remittances from the Parks and Recreation Department of the FCTA
“Park Update Forms should also be collected, filled by Operators and duly returned to the department in order to facilitate the update and verification of all park records. We need to make it clear that operators who refuse to take advantage of the Administration’s humane gesture and continue to default on their payments may have their Parks withdrawn, licenses revoked and their facilities transferred to compliant operators.
“We wish to state that the 2019 FCT Park Policy has categorized Parks into Neighbourhood, District, City and Regional Parks all with their various designations. The Policy is now fully operational.
“In line with all Park operators, Shaibu warned that the Park Policy regulations for their activities stipulates that their daily operation must end at 7.00pm. As the rights of the neighbors for protection against excessive noise must be sacrosanct”, he said.
In her contributions, the Director FCT Parks and Recreation, Hajiya Riskatu Abdulazeez said: “The 2019 FCT park policy is now fully operational, we are calling on the operators to pay their outstanding bills, before the policy came into existence their were suspension of the revenue collection but now is on.
“We have discussed with the operators, we asked them to come up and pay but they have not started. So, those who are yet to come and pay their outstanding, to pay in bulk wont be easy for them but let them pay in installments, because of COVID-19 we have waived year 2020 even in 2021, only 50% is expected” she said.
Flooding: FCTA To Demolish Over 100 buildings Along Waterways
Commences Removal from Dutse Makaranta
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has started demolishing more than 100 buildings built on waterways at Dutse Makaranta, a populated suburb in Bwari Area Council if the nation’s capital.
This is as a result of residents’ failure to heed all legal warnings regarding the valid devastating forecast on flooding disaster in Abuja.
The Administration said it could no longer wait for unwilling residents to comply with early warnings to save lives, after the destructive flooding that occurred in the community four days ago.
Comrade Ikharo Attah, Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, who led the demolition team to the community on Wednesday, stated that it would be extremely irresponsible for any administration to carry out the demolition.
He, however, expressed utmost disgust that occupiers and owners of the buildings on waterways in the community have deliberately refused to heed warnings, said the administration was welding the big stick to save lives, properties and environment.
He stated that it was an act of God that the heavy flooding that swept through the area four days did not leave any record of death, sparing the government of any careless social media backlash.
Attah explained that the owners and occupiers of the buildings on the waterways have been warned and asked to leave the area from the onset, but refused to comply, hence the forceful ejection.
He was particularly bittered that some of the doomed buildings were a private school, churches where innocent children, wards and worshipers would have been swept away, had the flooding occurred on working days or even during religious feast.
According to him: ” Today we are commencing a citywide operation against buildings sitting on water plains and riverbeds.Here in Dutse Makaranta, you could see heavy flooding, we thank God the rain fail on Sunday afternoon at about 1 and 2pm when many had left the church and school was closed. The water got to the window levels and members had fled. The casualties here would have been extremely massive.
” Most persons in this area where out, only two men who where on their beds . When the water came onebof the walls to one of the buildings fell on the bed of one man and the man fled his house and packed everything quickly.
” We hope that this will send a strong message to all those who have been on water plains and corridors.
” We thank God that we did not loose any life here. But we wonder how people will put their buildings without a building plan approval and now they are telling us to try and understand.
” FCTA has marked the buildings from Foundation level, they have been warned to leave that this is a disaster zone. They kept marking at window and roofing levels, warning them to leave that flooding was coming, but they never believed”, he added.
A resident of the Community, Ibrahim Shaibu confirmed that those affected by the demolition actually were aware that the area was prone to flooding, but ignored all warnings.
Shaibu who claimed he has lived in the community for about 20 years acknowledged that the flooding that occurred three days ago was unprecedented, but thanked God that no life was lost.
He claimed that the indigenous people should be blamed for whatever destruction the flooding has caused, as they have continued to resell the place after each demolition exercise.
Sallah: FCTA Issues Warning Against Sale of Rams in Undesignated Areas
Rams should not be sold anywhere other than the places that are authorized to do so in the Federal Capital City, according to a statement from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Comrade Ikharo Attah, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, gave the warning while inspecting the designated locations on Thursday in Abuja.
According to Attah, the authorities would not allow anyone to sell rams throughout the city.
He issued a warning that anyone caught selling ram in an unapproved location will have their ram seized and face legal consequences.
When that occurs, he asserts, the government will appear before the judge and request a forfeiture order; if that is granted, the ram will be confiscated and taken to orphanage, less privileged homes and prison.
According to him: “The position of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has remain the same in the last three years and even more tougher this year.
” The minister said there is nothing wrong in bringing rams for sales in Abuja during this global widely recognise festivity.
“But what the minister found inappropriate is and kept telling each and every one of us is that we should not allow selling of rams in none designated areas particularly in the city centre.
” Except at spot that are already earmarked for such purposes like the abattoirs, ram market at Dei-Dei, Kugbo ram market and some other few ram markets.
“But outside the designated areas it will not be allow by the authorities,” he said.
Attah hinted that the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) headed by Mr Osi Braimah, had set up a committee which has been up and doing.
He explained that the the committee had been reinvigorated to check the sales of ram and warned persons not to sale ram in an areas not designated.
He, however, advised ram sellers to contact AEPB for proper guidance on how to go about selling the rama without violating the law.
Demolition: Bello Applauds FCT Taskforce on City Sanitation, Says I’m Very Impressed
Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), expressed his delight with the Taskforce on City Sanitation’s continued, renewed enforcement actions.
The enforcement exercise is being conducted to ensure the restoration and maintenance of sanity in Abuja, the country’s capital city.
Bello asserted that the city cannot become sane without enforcement during a meeting with the FCTA’s heads of the departments involved in enforcement, the affiliate operational commander, and field commanders from other security agencies engaged in enforcement actions in the FCT.
However, he pointed out that he had no justification for interfering with or stopping any of the demolitions or other enforcement efforts the Taskforce had carried out, particularly those that involved well-known individuals.
According to him: “Honestly, I appreciate you all for what you are doing. All the demolitions; all the arrests that you have done, no big man could call me to stop you, because they know I don’t do so (I won’t), that’s why they don’t talk about it. So, just go and do your work.
“What I’m telling you is exactly the feeling of the Commander in chief also, because we have to enforce.
“Without enforcement, is not possible, the difference between us and animals is enforcement simply, and we in the Administration have to try our best to help you”.
Similarly, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, said the authorities are really feeling the impact of the taskforce, as their work is very palpable and appealing to the stakeholders.
This, he noted couldn’t have been possible without the political will and support of the Hon. FCT Minister, who always wants the right thing to be done.
According to him: “I have always been seeing the face of Ikharo Attah as the face of all of you, so it is good we are seeing you all today. We are really feeling you, because we are seeing the work that you are doing.
“On the service delivery platform, I’m always there, and the feedback we received from you is worth encouraging and appealing. This is how is should be. All these couldn’t have been possible without the political will and support of the Hon. Minister, who always wants the right thing to be done.
“What we are telling people now is that we have to obey and comply with the law. I thank the Hon. Minister for receiving you personally, this is to tell you that you have all the moral support, political support and what is left is for you to do more, and make sure you deal according to the law, and don’t do anything out of vengeance. Pls we assure you of our total support , financial support or otherwise”.
Also speaking, the FCT Commissioner Police,
Sunday Babaji, reassured that the Police and other security agencies involved in the enforcement drive would not relent on working towards maintaining the sanctity of the nation’s capital city.
He however appealed to the FCT Administration to continue to support them to keep the tempo.
On his part, DCP Operations, FCT Command, Bennett Igweh, reiterated the readiness of the security personnel to do their work professionally, without fear or favour as they are always ready to move into any place for enforcement.
Igweh adds: “I as DC ops has always tokd the field officers to do what is right and lawful assuring them that I will take full responsibility of whatever the outcome is”
Earlier, Comrade Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, said for the Minister to receive them shows that they have not disappointed those who chose them from their various security agencies and FCTA departments to do the enforcement work.
Attah noted that looking at the job they do in the field, most times if not for FCT Minister’s strong political will and desire to stand and be very firm on what is right, they won’t do much in their assignment.
He said: ” Doing our job, one thing we have discovered is that there are strong beneficiaries of all illegalities and criminalities in the FCT.
“Anywhere we go, to even chase criminals , somebody is benefiting, you chase hawkers, somebody is benefiting , to remove illegal structure somebody is benefiting; to remove roadside traders, somebody is benefiting ; and to arrest okada, somebody is benefiting. And when we step on those big toes, our source of comfort is that our bosses are always there to defend us”.
He continued: “Hon. Minister, we want to thank you for the stiff support with strong political will we have received to carry out our job. We thank you for the will power to stand by us in difficult times, because when we look at the job we do in the field, most times we discovered that if not for your strong political will and desire to stand and be very firm on what is right, I don’t think that we will go far at all.
” I want to appeal very strongly that our bosses should sustain the support going forward, and I’m very sure we will not disappoint you, because our committment to do what is right certainly knows no bounds”.
NITDA Reaffirms Its Commitment To Creating A Supportive Environment For Women Entrepreneurs
Kashifu Inuwa, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment as the country’s top IT regulatory body to developing enabling policies for the development, use, and adoption of digital technology in order to support and improve the living standards of women entrepreneurs across the country.
This was expressed by Inuwa at the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Women and Youth Leadership Symposium in Abuja, which was held for the first time.
Inuwa, who was represented by Dr Amina Sambo Magaji, Deputy Director of the Agency’s Digital Economy Development Department, remarked that given NITDA’s objective, the organization was deeply drawn to developmental efforts, which underlined the importance the Agency placed to the symposium.
“NITDA supported the symposium with Technology Tools that will help enhance Entrepreneurship especially amongst Women and Youth in general”.
According to the NITDA boss, the inability of a country to create digital presence in today’s dynamic digital world translates to having a non-existent nation.
“Technology is an enabler that many people around the world leverage to create their digital presence. Without the right technological tools, we will not be able to advance as a country, economically and politically. In the light of this, NITDA is very interested and supportive of this symposium”.
Outlining the Agency’s several opportunities that support Women and youth entrepreneurship, Inuwa said a subsidiary was specifically established and named Office of the Nigeria Digital Innovation (ONDI), primarily to foster the growth of Technology and Innovation in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the President of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), Filimena Viera, while observing that whereas, women and youths constitute the significant percentage of the world’s population, their continued deprivation in virtually all areas of affairs has increasingly become a source of concern.
She attributed the factors responsible for this ugly development to their age, gender, limited opportunities and assumed lack of political experience.
Viera noted that among the major reasons for African continent’s backwardness is the fact that women and youth have not been given their rightful places in governance.
“Youths are the future, hence the need for the creation of relevant platforms where they can exchange ideas, experiences and amplify best practices.
“To address the menace of Women and youth marginalisation, effective policy framework mechanism has to be in place, so as to ensure equity and to guarantee a sustainable society where basic human rights are recognised.
“Platforms that will inspire, mentor and avail the women and youth training on the required skill set cannot be over emphasised”.
Also, as part of its contribution towards guaranteeing the development of women and youth entrepreneurship as championed by the sub – regional Parliamentarians Association, 20 laptop computers were donated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) is an umbrella body of all Female members of the ECOWAS Parliaments; primarily established to assist Parliamentarians from the Sub – region use their legislative mandates to empower Women through qualitative legislation.