A taxi park reportedly turned to drug addicts colony and home for many other criminal elements in the nation’s capital has been demolished by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over the weekend.

This administration in continuation of its operations against criminal activities in the nation’s capital vowed not to leave any stone on turned.

The park in question is located at Nicon junction in Maitama district, was supposed to be an interchange by the Abuja Master plan, but temporarily made a taxi park, to mitigate the hardship of commuters. 

Director, FCTA  Security Services Department, Adamu Gwari while speaking on behalf of the administration hinted that the taxi park had not only turned to environmental nuisance,  but a security threat that can’t be allowed. 

Gwary who led other officials in the demolition exercise, also hinted that in view of the persistent insecurity across the country,  the administration was prepared to deal with all potential danger to residents. 

According to him , ” In line with the city programme this place is a taxi rank,  but it has been highly abused and turned nuisances.  That is why we have to remove everything. This place has become a security threats and it breeds criminality,  there are series of concerns from the residents as regarding the rate of criminality which emanates from this place”.

Similarly, the Chairman,  FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, Comrade Ikharo Attah said FCT Minister,  Malam Muhammad Musa Bello was worried and pained  that government’s efforts towards alleviating residents transportation difficulties was  scuttled by miscreants. 

He further noted that the Ministerial directive to immediately demolish the taxi park , was meant to promptly address a brewing insecurity within the highbrow Maitama district, saying the park was terribly abused. 

Attah said, a place magnanimously provided by government to ease residents movement, unfortunately,  had turned to a hiding place for drug addicts.

He also vowed that the contravention won’t be allowed to remain an environmental  nuisance and also breed insecurity within the neighbourhood and the territory at large.

He also added that all relevant Departments and Agencies have directed to ensure that the nuisance does not return to the place.

According to him ; ” This place is supposed to be an interchange according to the plans, but temporarily turned to a taxi rank to manage transportation problem,  but the place was badly abused. The place was turned to home for drug addicts and has become very dangerous for the neighbourhood here. 

” The Minister was was clear when he gave a matching order that this nuisance he removed.  The taxi rank has become a contravention that can’t be allowed. 

” All the concerned department will ensure that the nuisance does not come back here, because this place is the heart of Maitama district. 

” The Minister has ordered that we should green the place, to add to aesthetic of the city”, Attah noted. 

An America based humanitarian organisation, Achana Legacy Foundation has donated boimedical equipment worth millions of naira to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to
boost Primary Healthcare Centres in the nation’s capital.

Items donated include Electric, Hill-Rom, Advanta worth $2,800.00, CV Arts, CV Split, CSR Wrap worth $900.00, Dharma Relief Face Masks with Earloops worth $1,080.00, Monitor worth $2,594.00, Vacuum Regulator worth $1,074.95, Syringes, 50cc, Catheter Tip worth $4,400.00, Pressure Tubing, assorted worth $3,200.00, and Blanket Warming Cabinet Single Chamber worth $1,939.00.

Others include Stryker, Secure 2, w/mattress worth $3,136.40, ECG Monitor, w/stand worth $3,088.86, Hemorrhoid worth $2,669.80, IV Line Connectors, Needless Luer Access Device worth $1,196.16, N95 Cone-Type Respirator worth $1,200.00, Video Camera Console SK worth $3,995.00, Eletrosurgical Generator worth $3,462.00 amongst other assorted non-pharmaceutical items.

While receiving the items on behalf of the FCT administration, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, thanked the foundation for responding to the clarion call by the administration for the development of primary healthcare centres in the nation’s capital.

She hinted that at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration reached out to well meaning Nigerians in diaspora to come to its aid by equipping primary healthcare centres in rural communities.

Aliyu, however, stated that the biomedical equipment donated by the foundation would not only save the administration huge sums of money, but would also go a long way to boost primary healthcare delivery in the Federal Capital Territory.

She, therefore,called on other Nigerians to be patriotic as demonstrated by Achana Legacy Foundation, the minister maintained that good governance is a collective responsibility.

Her words ; “The FCT for a long time has been yearning for such support from Nigerians in the diaspora. We thank the foundation for coming to our aid by donating three (3) 40ft. containers filled with biomedical equipment to the Federal Capital Territory.

“There is much more we can all do to make Nigeria better than clamoring for sessasion. If all Nigerians can contribute their quarters, only then we will come to the realization that nation building is not the responsibility of government alone. This donation will no doubt boost primary healthcare in the FCT”.

Presenting the equipment to the minister, a representative of the foundation, Mr. Mustapha Salihu, hinted that the foundation has carried out numerous humanitarian services across African countries particularly in Nigeria.

He also stated that the foundation had donated medical equipment to states like Bauchi, Kwara and Kogi with a view to cushioning the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that the donation would be replicated in other states of the federation.

According to him, “we stand on the philosophy that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation and before we can attain wealth we have to attain wellness as a people. More importantly, we have to join hands with government seeing that we are going through a pandemic.

Earlier in his remarks, the Ag. Executive Secretary of FCT Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Iwot Ndaeyo, described the gesture as the highest single donations to boost FCT Primary Healthcare Centres in the past 30 years, while pledging to put the items to good use.