… Says he ought to regularise his appointment before posting to FCTA

A civil society of Nigeria has condemned alleged purported plans by some cabals of FCTA to superimpose Dr Shuaibu Adamu Director community and social Development Project (CSDP) and Present HOD Agriculture in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to head the international corporation of the
Economic Planning Revenue and Public Private Partnerships division.

This was contained in a statement by the President of the Civil Service Watch for Good Governance (CSWGG), Ambassador Abila Garba and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

The statement reads in part; “We want to first of all commend the FCT Minister malam Muhammad Musa Bello for his creative ideas of creating new departments in the FCT and his current appointment of Mandate Secretaries and Heads of departments and we are highly impressed with the massive construction of roads projects currently going on in the FCT being spearheaded by the this administration. But at the same time we rise to condemn vehemently the skimming by top officials of the FCT and the entire idea is spearheaded by Alhaji Muhammed Abubakar Lawal who retired over fifteen years ago in same division. The man is still a staff of AMAC but got the CSDP appointment as a contract one which has expired.

“He ought to regularise his appointment before the posting to any FCTA division but he is being imposed now by the economic planning cabal led by the immediate past director to become Head of international cooperation division.

“Imagine the idea of this retired civil servant who has been retired and laid out of service for over fifteen years ago to replace himself with his candidate in such sensitive office is unacceptable. For God sake he has been retired and tired by the Federal Government why is he bringing someone to takeover the international corporation of this newly created and sensitive division of the FCTA that has more to do with the economic drive of the administration.

“We have been keen followers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and its agencies. We have come to a conclusion that if someone who is currently an HOD in AMAC will be allowed to assume office, demands for serious attention since the All Progressives Congress (APC) is believed to have come with a complete fight against corruption, favoritism and compromise that has eaten deep into the fabric of Nigeria in the past years.

“We have decided to raise this alarm for prompt action by the Minister and for him to intervene and be in the same page with Mr President, because such action, will also send a strong message that President Muhammadu Buhari who is believed would not tolerate incompetency, imposition done by past administration no matter who, should act fast to correct the this anomalies, expecially at a time when the FCTA is faced by a economic challenges. And we saw recently the reversal of NNPC board appointment by the Mr President.

” This act if not carefully stopped will cause a stumblibg block and go further in blocking international corporation which the FCT Administration have enjoyed for so long. Coupled with
the nature of ineffectiveness of the revenue drive and failed public private partnership arrangement of the administration over the years.

“This time the FCTA led by the Bello should get it right by looking inward and stop the operation of this cabals who always believed that FCTA is their own and can anything they want and get away with it. the economy planning of the FCTA is nothing to right home about and it is really going down. Revenue in this aspect is key and very important”

The CSO also described the move as a high plot by some high persons in FCTA that has a hidden agenda as“scurrilous campaign to tarnish the image and hard enrned reputation of the minister.

“The bottom line is that Bello’s reputation as a hard working patriot working for the best of the country is about to be rubbished” the statement further reads.

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA) has hinted that the agency a total number of 3715 lives were saved in various rescue operations within the same period under review.

While also adding that the agency
was able to salvaged an estimated goods and properties worth over 1.264 billion Naira from market fire outbreaks between January and December 2021.

FEMA Director General, Abbas Idriss, gave this hint at briefing newsmen on the major disasters that occurred in 2021 in the nation’s capital included: flooding, market fires and building collapse.

He stated that 2,025 lives were saved from flooding in the FCT, with the highest figure of 802, coming from the Trademore Estate flood incident in Lugbe, while 5 lives were lost to flooding in the area.

He added that FEMA rescued 1444 persons from various fire rescue operations in the Ebeano Super Market fire, where 74 persons were rescued, the Kugbo furniture market with 102 lives saved and 300 lives from the Gwarimpa old tipper garage fire.

According to him, the Agency recovered 26 vehicles during the rescue operations while,183 houses were submerged during the period under review.

FEMA boss, however, revealed that the Agency recorded an increase in the use of its 112 toll-free emergency number, as it received 173 distress calls in 2021, as against 153 in 2020.

His words; “Between January and December 2021, FEMA responded to 173 distress calls. These calls covered response to flood disasters, fire incidents, collapsed buildings, drowning, gas explosion etc.

“A total number of 3715 lives were saved in various rescue operations within the period under review;
57 persons were however fatally injured during these disasters.

“Other rescue operations attended to in 2021 included incidents of collapsed buildings, where we were able to rescue 17 persons; we however lost 2 lives.

“Drowning incidents claimed one life while we rescued 7 persons from various rivers. We recorded 2 incidents of gas explosion, thankfully no lives were lost. We also lost 7 lives to Military Air crash.

He continued; “The Agency salvaged an estimated goods and properties worth over 1.264 billion naira from market fire outbreaks last year.

“We believe in proactive measures to mitigate disasters; hence we undertook hazard mapping of the FCT, vulnerability assessment as well as deployment of technology in our operations. These greatly enhanced our performance in 2021,” the FEMA boss stated.

Following the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s plans to revive the Tractor Hiring Scheme in the nation’s capital, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim, Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), stated that the Secretariat intends to take adequate security measures to track tractor movement to ensure that they are not taken outside the FCT.

This information was revealed by the Secretary during a meeting with Agric Field Engineers at the ARDS Central Workshop in Gwagwalada.

He did, however, express reservations about the Administration’s decision to put the idea on the table, noting that it had failed in the past.

The FCT Administration, according to him is aware of the critical role the provision of the tractors can play in boosting food production which is why it has made provisions in the 2022 budget to procure a total of 12 tractors, which will be fitted with tracking devices to monitor the use and locations of the tractors ensuring that FCT farmers benefit from the programme.

Abubakar however assured that the Secretariat will be looking into the provision of other Agricultural machineries to farmers as a strategy to improve food production and guarantee food security.

According to him; “The Administration is not only looking into the provision of the tractors but also other Agricultural machineries that will enhance productivity.

“We are equally aware of the need for maintenance which is why we will be investing in training our engineers to ensure that all our inputs and machineries are efficiently managed”.

On his part, the Executive Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mustapha Adamu Danze described the visit to the central worksop as an eye opener for the Council, which he assured will be keying into the initiative by the Secretariat.

Hundreds of shanties previously used for residential and commercial purposes, principally by scavengers, dealers, and squatters, were demolished today as part of the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) enhanced effort to tackle environmental nuisances.

Illegal buildings and scrap materials strewn across a major road network around Angwan Berberi, off Efab Estate, and behind Kado Fish Market, near Lifecamp axis in  Abuja’s Gwarinpa District, were particularly hard hit.

Illegal settlers’ residences erected with sacks inside an undeveloped land next to the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Efab Road, by Adebowale Gas Station, in the vicinity were also demolished.

The exercise was carried out by FCTA officials with the assistance of its Security Command and Control Centre, which has over 200 joint personnel and field officers drawing from Development Control Department, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and other relevant agencies.

Speaking on the exercise, Comrade Ikharo Attah, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, said the action followed a complaint sent to the FCT Administration through Command and Control Centre, due to high level of proliferation of shanties, scavengers (aka Baba-Bolas) and others in the area.

He said the FCTA discovered a very worrisome development on the road, which is Cadastral C02 road corridor here in Gwarinpa, which people started building houses on it.

His words ; “We cleared all the shanties and we have marked the houses, and warned people to be aware of two areas they must not build on- road corridors and waterways.

“We have given them enough time to move, some of them we have removed before, and they returned. So we keep giving enough time over and over again, and the question is we have given you enough time, but have you given the government enough time before coming to put illegalities?

“Most of the FCDA road corridors are transit ways not yet constructed, but people have already build on them.

“We have taken notice of all of them; we have gotten their numbers and we are going to be coming very heavily on them. And those who are building on waterways and green areas, we will be coming very heavily against them.

“It is very worrisome when you see a beautiful road corridor that is yet to be constructed , and people are building on it, it is very disturbing. But our appeal is to residents not to allow people come and built kiosks and anything on the road within their neighbourhoods”, he stressed.

Meanwhile, one of the owners of the houses in the area, who claimed to be Barrister, but pleaded anonymity, disclosed that she had bought the land for which she spent not less than three million to develop, the structure.

She expressed shock over the development, as she and her had planned to move into the newly finished house today, only to met their house marked for demolition.

According to her: “we just finished, and we intended to pack in today; we actually spent about 3 million Naira to set this building in this area.

“Actually no notice was given to us, and we acquired the land through the Chief of the village, at the rate of N220,000.00.

“You can see people living in this environment are stranded now, so the government should give us time, since it is not ready to make uss of the road now.

“I wish to appeal that the authorities should give us sufficient notice, because we are human beings and looking at the economic situation of this country, people are just working to eat, as they can’t even pay their rents.”

Similarly, a resident, who simply identified himself as Mr Samson, whose place of residence was demolished, however admitted that most people were aware that the area has been reserved for a major road, linking many parts of the nation’s capital city.

He however adds that ” the major problem we have with them (FCTA officials) is that they didn’t informed us before coming to demolish our houses, so as to enable us remove our belongings, without suffering any loss.”

The Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT branch, Comrade Dr. Stephen Knabayi, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has paid its promotion arrears after months of unrelenting demand.

In a phone interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Friday, he hinted at the possibility.

The Chairman stated that the discussion was difficult and lengthy, but that the union was successful in obtaining its requests, and that the money was paid on January 6, 2022.

While revealing that the administration has since cleared the body for the promotion arrears of 2017, Kinabayi stated that the promotion arrears of 2018 were the one that was resolved following their meeting with the Permanent Secretary.

According to him, “The union had a closed door meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA that lasted for several hours, while the union insisted, demanding for the promotion arrears, it was eventually paid”.

After a meeting with the Permanent Secretary on the 2018 promotion arrears we expected this money before now. And now they saw the need to release it. Its all the areas of 2018. You know the teachers are in two fold. You know we have teachers from the secondary School and teachers from the primary Schools. So the payment is for the teachers in the Secondary Schools and we are still discussing with the Area Council Chairmen to see the need of paying for that of LEA teachers ” he said.

It could be recalled that the union under the leadership of Comrade Stephen Knabayi has been demanding for promotion arrears of teachers.