The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sworn not to back down from its planned demolition of all estates illegally erected on waterways.
This is as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was negatively mentioned in the 2022 Annual Flood Outlook.
Shuaib Umar, Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), reiterated this pledge during a stakeholders meeting with Trademore Estate Management and Residents Associations on Friday.
According to Umar: ” by next week all these houses are going down.The solution to this is the removal of these houses. We won’t like ourselves at the detriment of others.
” Even a single house could cause problem for so many people. If that single house is not constructed where it is suppose to be constructed “.
Meanwhile, the Director of Department of Development Control, Tlp Muktar Galadima who led a demolition squad to one of the offending Estates, in Lugbe District, said it was appalling that developers were jeopardising peoples lives.
He hinted that the Valley Hub estate in Lugbe that is already under the fire of angry bulldozers, violated development rules, by illegally expanding and building on green area.
He also said that over 20 houses built along waterways at Trademore Estate and others would be demolished as scheduled, after the ultimatum given to them.
Galadima said, ” now is the moment, those houses marked for removal are going.
” Anything that would come after can be resolved. The first thing now is to save lives and properties.
” This demolition will not only be limited to Trade More estate, even the down stream we are going to remove all the houses that are on the flood plain “.
However, a representative of Trademore Estate, Arc. Ifeanyi Uzoigwe, said there was need for FCTA to evaluate a dam located at Alieta, a community before Lugbe, which has collapsed and is contributing to the flooding.
Uzuigwe also added some of the water channels within the area, need to be expanded urgently.
According to the recent Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency’s (NIHSA) 2022 Annual Flood Outlook, Gwagwalada and Abuja Municipal Area Councils (AMAC) are extremely likely flood risk area councils.
The forecast stated that, 233 local government areas in 32 states and the FCT are in very probably flood risk zones, while 212 local government areas in 35 states and the FCT are in moderate probability flood risk areas.
Alhaji Abbas Idriss, the Director General of FEMA, stated this in response to the flood forecast in Abuja.
The Head of the PRU, Nkechi Isa, made this statement available to journalists in Abuja.
To mitigate the impact of flooding, the FCT Emergency Management Agency,(FEMA), has put in place a number of measures, which include a high level and technical assessment of all flood prone and vulnerable areas in the FCT with a high level technical partner, the FCDA, Department of Development Control, Engineering Services, Facility maintenance and management department, Abuja Environmental protection Board, Urban and regiional planning among others to identify and remove all objects obstructing the free flow of storm water.
As part of measures to mitigate flooding in the FCT, Alhaji Idriss appealed to the area councils to strengthen their Local Emergency Management Committees to enable them respond to flood early warnings and carry out other mitigation strategies in their locality.
Idriss also said that FEMA was intensifying efforts to convene an extended stakeholders conference of all professionals such as water and civil Engineering Department, Architects, Town planners, Builders and other relevant professionals involved in town planning, design and provision of engineering infrastructure. He informed that particular attention was being paid to all the vulnerable areas of the FCT. According to the DG, FEMA would continue to strengthen and train the local divers and equip them adequately to tackle any emergency in all the area councils.
Idriss further stated that the FCT Minister ,Malam Mohammed Musa Bello has directed that all structures obstructing the free flow of water must be removed to prevent the loss of lives and property of the residents of the FCT. .
“The problem is enforcement,we have the laws.Even if it means having a mobile court to stop the violations that could lead to loss of lives and property in all towns in the FCT would be quite appropriate . He said.
The FEMA boss who blamed the recent incidents of flooding in the FCT on human activities like indiscriminate building on water ways, refuse dumping and removal and blocking of manholes led to cloging of the drains which is supposed to channel water to the discharge points.
“Since the end of last year’s raining season, FEMA has been carrying out impact assessment of the entire FCT and noticed some noticed infrastructural gaps,like inadequate box culverts and other infractions especially in Lokogoma and Galadimawa districts.
It therefore commends the FCDA for prompt replacement of some of the box culverts with River bridges “.
On farming this season, he urged farmers to desist from farming on flood plains and to always consult relevant agencies on the types of crops to plant and when to plant to avoid loss of crops,which could lead to food insecurity.
Idriss appealed to residents to own up to their environment to ensure that nobody violates the masterplan by building on water ways, dumping of refuse or any activity that could hinder free flow of storm water.
He urged residents to heed to the early warning and follow FEMA on its social media handles or its website ; www.fema.abj.gov.ng for more information.
He advised residents to make good use of the and toll free 112 emergency number for prompt response to any emergency.
The Director General, West African Health Organization (WAHO), Prof. Staley Okolo, joins twenty-five individuals and eleven organizations to be conferred with the 2019/2020 National Productivity Order of Merit Award.
The Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige said, the award is to usher in the activities lined up to observe the 19th National Productivity Day and Conferment of the National Productivity Order of Merit Award NPOM, the Federal Government said it is ready to recognise higher productivity and excellence in service of individuals and organisations and their efforts to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy.
Ngige said that given the cardinal role of productivity in the development of any nation, it was imperative that the citizenry be consistently reminded of the need for developing a productive mindset that will ensure the productivity growth of all the sectors of the economy.
He said that the Award among other things, aims at stimulating productivity consciousness and reward innovation, creativity and hard work among Nigerians.
“It is also to recognise and reward best practices in productivity, quality and innovation,” he said.
Ngige disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari would on Thursday May 12, confer the awards NPOM Award to deserving individuals and organisations that have worked hard for the economic growth of the country in commemoration of the 19th NPD Day and NPOM Award for 2019 and 2020.
Meanwhile, Okolo in 2018, left all his role to answer to President Buhari ’s call to national service when he was appointed to head WAHO as one of Nigeria’s Statutory Appointees to ECOWAS.
The DG WAHO is a multiple award-winning clinical leader and has in his current assignment led WAHO with intelligence, integrity and international acclaim.
He has championed several financial governance initiatives and positioned WAHO globally as West Africa’s regional health institution, with prestigious roles as one of the advisers of the London 2021 G7 summit and a member of the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Health.
With President Buhari as the ECOWAS COVID-19 Champion, WAHO has led the hugely successful West African regional response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing critically needed medical materials, diagnostic tests, personal protection equipment, training, risk communication resources and financial assistance to ECOWAS Member States.
Okolo spearheaded all the initiatives, supported by Nigeria’s Government which provided logistics.
He successfully negotiated the ECOWAS harmonised agreements on regional travel during the pandemic and is currently pursuing across the region during pandemics and is currently driving the agenda for local production of vaccines in the region.
Some of the awardees include the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu and the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr Boss Mustapha. Others are the immediate past Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chike Ihekweazu, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Akin Aboyomi, industrialist Abdusamad Rabiu and billionaire businessman, Mike Adenuga jnr, among others.
Ngige also noted that NPOM post humous awards would be conferred on late Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh who died of the Ebola virus while quarantining Ebola patient, Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian in a medical facility in Lagos.
Others are the late Mr. Babatunde Lawal who until his death was the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Some organisations shortlisted for the award are the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Erisco Foods Limited, Financial Derivatives Limited, Lagos, Crown Flour Mills Lagos and Tummy Tummy Foods Industry Limited.
The Director-General, National Productivity Centre (NPC) Mr. Kasim Akor, commended the Minister for his continual support to the Centre. He also commended President Buhari for taking the issue of productivity consciousness as apt for economic growth.
The 2019/2020 National Productivity Day and NPOM Award ceremonies could not hold in the stated years due to the COVID-19 pandemic which brought both economic and social activities to a halt globally.
On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari issued a directive requiring all ministers running for any electoral office in 2023 to quit by Monday, May 16th.
The directive was announced to the affected cabinet members at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by the President.
At the end of the FEC meeting, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed confirmed it to State House journalists.
Lai however said he did not have the mandate to talk on the fate of other political appointees who are also vying for elective positions but are not members of the cabinet.
Only the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who he affirmed was an elected official.
Among the affected ministers are Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Emeka Nwajiuba, Chris Ngige, Abubakar Malami and Timipre Sylva.
They are by this directive expected to resign their ministerial positions since they have already picked up their expression of interest and nomination forms for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
…Aliyu Flags Off Construction Of 10,000 Public Toilets
Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has stated that around one in every three people in the nation’s capital, or around 37 percent of the population, engages in open defecation (ODF), and that the problem must be addressed.
She dropped this hint when she kicked began the construction of 10,000 public restrooms in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, while also urging FCT RUWASSA and other stakeholders to step up their efforts to make the FCT open defecation-free.
The minister stated at the groundbreaking event that Nigeria began a five-year campaign in 2014 to abolish open defecation across the country by installing millions of toilets and changing the behavior of millions of Nigerians.
The minister said; “On November 9, 2021, the FCT Administration launched an action plan targeted at ending open defecation by 2025. The plan involves providing equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and strengthening community-led approaches to total sanitation”.
She reiterated that the optimal benefits that accrue from adequate water supply cannot be achieved without a corresponding improvement in sanitation and hygiene practices, stressing that access to adequate potable water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices, play important roles in defining the human capital development of a nation.
The minister maintained that the FCT Administration would continue to support and encourage private sector collaboration and participation in the provision of public conveniences in the territory in line with the commitment to work with the private sector to create jobs, while improving the people’s living standards
Aliyu commended the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, UNICEF, WaterAid, Lixil Corporation, USAID, JICA and other Development Partners for supporting and collaborating with the FCT Administration to end open defecation before the year 2025.
In his remarks, the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, who was represented by a director in his office, Mr. Prospect Ibe, said the FCT Administration has drawn up a road map to end open defecation in the territory by the year 2025, in line with national target and vision.
He also added that the road map lays out a comprehensive series of transitions that the Administration consider critical to the achievement of the vision for water and sanitation, stressing that the Administration would accelerate the deployment of infrastructure and technology that will support universal access to safe water and proper sanitation across the territory in line with the Abuja Master Plan.
On his part, the Executive Director FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, Dr. Mohammed Dan-Hassan, noted that clean and safe toilets would ensure fundamental human dignity for millions of residents, adding that open defecation spreads disease, threatens the security of women and girls, and contributes to malnutrition.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has vowed to sustained the removal removal of shanties, batchers, built by scavengers popularly known as ‘baban bola’ in Kubwa Bwari Area Council, Abuja until sanity returns to that area.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to FCT Minister Comrade Ikharo Attah along side CSP Solomon Adebayo, both lead the Joint Security Team during the enforcement.
He lamented that the team had come to address a security issue in the area near the Kubwa train station, where people are attacked as from 6p.m.
According to Attah “We came here to actually address security problems, we came here with the full support and the directive of the FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and the Commissioner of Police Sunday Babaje to actually tackle the issue of miscreants and babanbola that reck havoc on persons in FCT, this is the connecting area between Kubwa and Biazhin and there is so much cases of report here from this rail corridor and rail station that many person cannot even pass after 6pm, you dare not pass this area after 6pm, many persons have been robbed and stabbed with knife and other dangerous weapons and dispossesses them of their belongings here.
“Machines cannot get to that stretch so we had to set the shanties and batchers on fire.
“From what we gathered some drugs that are being sold around here, were found and were being handled by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) personnel.
“I can’t really quantify the number of shanties but my desires is to sack the shanties and free this area of all criminal elements .
“The residents were jubilating even though they were scared to show their faces to journalists. They were so happy because most of those boys scale the fence of the estate around here and rob them without being challenged”.
Speaking on the sustainability of the exercise, Attah hinted that: “We are going to come back and we will keep coming and keep coming until they give up on this location.
“We came here last year it was densely populated by batchers and what we see today is about 40% of what we removed last year . If they come again we will be waiting for them. What is important is sustainability and when government keeps doing the job and the Minister and Commissioner of Police has given us the mandate to go after bababola in Abuja. Most of the things we recovered are daggers, attack knives, light weapons etc.
“They even extend their batchers close to the train tracks”.
A resident in the are who doesn’t want his name mentioned for fear of being attacked commended the FCTA for a job well done.
He said, “This is a very strong spot and no man’s land because they take anything that can make them high. They take hard drugs and sell hard drugs.
“Once they take drugs they don’t respect anyone.
“This is very dangerous, we do our business during the day we close before 6pm because of the insecurity around here . We would have apppreciate the government to allow people who are doing genuine business to stay here.
“The way they live here nobody would be happy or be on their side”.
Mark Ulogwu, who was a victim of this miscreants was very happy the shanties were destroyed.
He said, “I have been living here since 1989, I am very happy about the destruction of this shanties. In this town this is the kind of place criminals hide. The FCT need to come back to keep checking the place because am sure once they move out in the next two or three months, they will come back to this place.
“Am sure if they are doing their businesses quietly I don’t think the government would have sacked them, I believe they came based on things that have happened around here, I was personally attacked on this spot and the okada man abandoned me. I was robbed, they collected all my valuables and I was beaten seriously.
“In order to ensure they don’t come back , the administration can put fence like babwire or something to stop them from coming back”.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned schools in the territory on Tuesday to stop extorting money from students and teachers through unauthorized projects., urging them to avoid working with the Parents Teachers Association (PTA).
Saying, it’s illegal for schools to hide behind special initiatives in order to place undue difficulties on parents and guardians by collecting illegal fees.
FCTA Secretary for Education Secretariat, Dahir El-Katuzu, made me this during a school resumption inspection at Kubwa Government Secondary School.
FCTA has a standard that must be upheld in all schools and any school that breaks the regulations will be sanctioned, El-Katuzu hinted.
The Secretary noted that School resumption inspection had been sustained by the secreatriat, as a measure to keep both teachers, pupils and students in proper check.
According to him, the Secretariat will continue to demonstrate the value the it attaches to Education.
Meanwhile, the PTA Chairman of Government Science Secondary School, Pyakasa-Maitama, Chidi Oparauwokè, pledged that the Association will remain committed to the policies of the administration, while promoting the ideals of education.
Similarly, the Principal, Government Secondary School, Kubwa, Musa Zuru said his school has recorded almost 80% attendance within the first two days of resumption.
Zuru, who noted that his school has a set of standard that can’t be compromised.
The Schools inspected include, GSS Pyakasa-Maitama, and in Kubwa, the Government Junior Secondary school, Phase III, Kubwa, GSS Kubwa and a private school, Unity High school were visited.
According to a research performed to determine the extent of impact instability has had on the Nigerian state, roughly 35,000 individuals have died prematurely, with over 2.5 million people relocated both within and outside the Lake Chad Basin.
More data from the Nextier Violent Conflict Database, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker, and the Managing Conflict in Northeast Nigeria (MCN) shows that the North East region experienced 23 violent conflict incidents between January and March 2022, resulting in 172 deaths and 23 kidnapping victims.
The study noted that the northeast faced extreme terrorist violence for over twelve years, with several communities in the region experiencing terror attacks that have degraded livelihood opportunities, exacerbated poor services and deepened the humanitarian crisis.
“The Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker, notes that about 35,000 people have died from the ongoing crisis. Over 2.5 million people are displaced within the region and in the Lake Chad Basin. These Data from Nextier Violent Conflict Database show that between January and March 2022, the region recorded 23 violent conflict incidents resulting in 172 deaths and 23 kidnap victims.
“Compared to the same period in 2021, the region recorded 35 percent more violent incidents, a 91 percent increase in deaths, and a 109 percent increase in the number of kidnap victims. This violence trend may endure as many of the region’s population are vulnerable to new attacks despite the counter-terrorism measures of the Nigerian government and her Lake Chad Basin neighbours,”the study revealed.
The report which was made available to the media on Tuesday, in Abuja also noted that trailing the northeast’s terrorist attacks are the displacement and humanitarian woes.
It said owing to the backlash, internally displaced persons (IDPs) seek refuge in displacement camps where basic services are sparse, coupled with limited opportunities for livelihood and self-sufficiency.
“The humanitarian crises spill beyond the IDP camps to include communities, where large populations struggle due to depleted livelihood sources, destroyed infrastructure, bodily harm, limited access to and availability of external support. Such host communities are often hostile to the IDPs, given that available resources cannot meet the needs of both groups.
“Furthermore, beyond the communities that have been sacked by violence, other residents face the direct and indirect impact of the northeast violence.
“Women, girls, and boys significantly populate refuge sites in Nigeria’s conflict-impacted northeast and beyond it. These demographics’ vulnerabilities are deepened by the continuance of terror, prolonged displacement periods and humanitarian crises.
“Besides, most violent conflicts affect women and girls differently. For instance, women and girls in the northeast are often kidnapped, sexually violated, forced into marriages, or turned into suicide bombers. Young boys are victims of these challenges as their vulnerability predisposes them to the antics of jihadist groups.
“Furthermore, boys in this situation are also recruited by self-defence militias. In 2018, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reported that a local militia fighting Boko Haram insurgents released about 833 child soldiers in northeast Nigeria. According to UNICEF, the released children were among the nearly 1,500 boys and girls recruited by vigilante militias,”the report further revealed.
According to the report facilitators, the Nigerian government and its development partners have strived to assist the afflicted populations, especially deploying efforts to return and resettle millions of the displaced population.
Highlighting other efforts of the Nigerian government, the study said it opened an amnesty window in 2016 for low-risk repentant insurgents, including the Nigerian military’s Operation Safe Corridor (OSC) which manages this programme as a counter-insurgency approach to deplete terrorist organisations in the northeast and broader Lake Chad Basin.
The study observed that reintegrating processed participants of the programme proved difficult as many communities say they do not want them back.
It report noted, “The conflict in the northeast and its aftermath have depleted social cohesion. Multiple subsets of the population have been created as a result. Fostering social cohesion between the groups has been difficult for the Nigerian government.
“For instance, several intervention programmes in the region have a social cohesion component, given the subject matter’s relevance to community resilience and stabilisation. Social cohesion is also relevant to preventing and managing internal conflicts such as the indigene-settler dichotomy, IDPs versus host communities, repentant insurgents, and host communities. These scenarios require a more robust and all-inclusive engagement to salvage multidimensional challenges.
“The development challenges in the northeast region are significant but not intractable. The Nigerian government must encourage its development partners to support intrinsic community efforts geared towards resilience. Nextier recently completed a study on community conflict resilience in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states”.
As the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) continues across the country, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is expected to disclose at least 1.4 million candidate results.
The countrywide test, which began on May 6th, is scheduled to end on May 16th, 2022.
According to Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Head of Media, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, over 1.7 million candidates successfully enrolled to take the exam across the country.
However, some of the exam’s initial problems may have been resolved, since most of the centers visited have witnessed improvements in internet network access, consistent power supply, and working PCs.
In some centres visited by our correspondent in Abuja, gathered that some excited examination officers and candidates over the improvement.
Students who wrote the examination at Right Technology Centre and Sascon International School centre two in Maitama District of Abuja, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination.
They, however, said they observed challenges of incomplete English paper while writing the examination.
Saidu Razak, a candidate at the centre told our correspondent that he entered the exam Hall and went straight to his computer and started writing without any challenge.
He expressed happiness that he was able to submit ahead of given time, noting that so far no complaint of malfunctioning system.
Generally, I believe the conduct of the examination was good. Even the questions were okay,I knew some questions but some of the questions, truly, I didn’t know them, it is all about a test of knowledge be and I must commend JAMB, he added.
Mrs Maryam Alfa, the Centre Admin Officer, noted that there is conducive environment at the Sascon centre and that the exam has been flowing well except for the issue of incomplete questions in English Language paper.
Earlier, the CAO of Royal Midland CBT, Korudoma in Katy LGA of Nasarawa state, Njoku Uchenna Samuel, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the examination at the centre.
According to him, “From day one of the exam, we have been experiencing success here. Every aspect of the examination, the system, the networking and everything needed for the examination were in perfect condition.
The start of the enumeration of beneficiaries for the recently reformed Government Enterprise Empowerment Program Initiative GEEP 2.0 has been set for May 12.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, announced this at the start of a three-day Advance Training on Digitization and Registration for Social Investment Program Program Managers and Master Trainers.
The goal of the training programme, according to Umar Bindir, National Coordinator, National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP), is to promote digitalization with current software and working tools to Program Managers and Master Trainers.
Umar Farouq explained that GEEP has been restructured for digital compliance to enable trainers to align with the latest trends in modern technology. This she said is to fulfill President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to lift 100 million persons out of poverty.
“Poverty is an issue for our country and unfortunately, it is very high. We are on the GEEP level. We have Focal Persons of all the states and the National Orientation Agency also represented here. We want to have the first crack at trying to register and document all the beneficiaries in a seamless but transparent process. We must now learn that this pool of poor Nigerians need to be properly identified and documented”.
She, however, reiterated that repayment of the interest free loan at the expiration of its tenure is a function of efficiency and success.
The Team Lead of GEEP, Zainab Musawa who presented an overview of the Advance Training on Digitization and Registration for Programme Managers and Master Trainers stated that the training will provide a comprehensive framework for the enhancement of the beneficiaries’ registration processes and implementation of digital transformation of the programme delivery throughout the GEEP 2.0 lifespan.
“While significant progress has been made regarding implementation, the Ministry has been stringent in enhancing a programme design to have a better delivery to the communities in need. The Ministry has been cognizant of the importance of digital processes for effective delivery results and as such, is proud to announce the digitization of the GEEP 2.0 processes and enhanced registration policies in efforts towards mandate achievement”.
Earlier in his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Dr Nasir Sani- Gwarzo who was represented by the Director of Finance of the Ministry Mr Matthew Dada welcomed the participants to the training and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity to improve on their digital skills.
The Director General, National Orientation Agency, Dr. Garba Abari also lauded existing partnerships with the Ministry and urged participants to make inputs that will add more value to the programme.
The theme of the three-day training session is “rethinking and redesigning processes in the age of technology for better delivery.
Disbursement of loans is expected to commence immediately after enumeration.
