As Aliyu Flags Off 2020 Tree Planting Campaign  

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, said the Administration was investing in the adoption of solar lighting to illuminate streets in the satellite towns of the territory.  

She made this known at the official flag-off of 2020 Tree Planting campaign in Karshi, Abuja Municipal Area Council, while stressing that the FCT Administration was working on other innovative solutions capable of earning carbon credits with which to spur development in the satellite towns.  

She stated that, Tree Planting campaign was an annual global event meant to create awareness amongst citizens on the need to sustainably manage forests for the purpose of meeting the developmental needs of the present generation without compromising the opportunity of future generations to manage theirs.

To this end, she said the administration was working on a number of policy instruments to enhance the protection of the territory’s tree stock, adding that efforts are also being expended to promote the wide adoption of climate-friendly practices across the nooks and crannies of the territory.  

Speaking on this year’s theme “Forests and Biodiversity: Too Precious to Lose”, the minister noted that this could not have been coined at a better time than now when all hands need to be on deck to ensure the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Her words; “Goals 13 and 15 of the SDGs require all and sundry to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts; and protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”.  

She, however , called on other relevant departments to, as a matter of urgency, join hands with the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD) in the re-vegetation of all open spaces, degraded hill tops and hill slopes, reclaim old burrow-pit as well as rivers and flood-prone areas to prevent and mitigate adverse environmental consequences in the satellite towns of the territory.  

Amity further said that the STDD has earmarked 48,000 assorted indigenous tree species to be planted in the six Area Councils and 20,000 to be donated to foreign Embassies/High Commissions, FCT Public and Private Schools, religious bodies among others.  

Earlier, the Ag. Coordinator of FCT Satellite Towns Development Department, Engr. Felix Nwankwo, identified the environment as an asset to the present and future generations, hence the need for its sustainable management, noting that incidences of ecological and environmental disasters ravaging the entire globe are the direct consequences of man-made and natural factors.  

Nwankwo, affirmed that trees in an environment are known to enhance the supply of oxygen to the atmosphere which serves as immunity booster to citizens thereby reducing the expected susceptibility to COVID-19 fatalities.  

The highpoint of the occasion was the planting of trees by the FCT Minister of State, Chairmen of Area Councils, heads of agencies, traditional and religious leaders across the six area councils of the territory.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

The Management of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board ( MPWB) has called for early completion of its permanent office complex project located at Gudu district of the Federal Capital City.

The Director of the Board, Mallam Muhammad Nasiru Danmallam gave the call when he led the management team to inspect the level of project being executed by the Department of Public Building of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

Danmallam, however, expressed happiness over the quality of the work and the level of work done which was aimed at accommodating staff of the board to carry out their official duties.

The director , in a press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Lawal Aliyu
also assured the contractor handling the project of all necessary support to facilitate prompt release of fund for the execution of the project in line with the desire of the Administration.

He expressed his appreciation to the FCT Minister of state, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu whose passion for the project ensured that the contractor was mobilized back to site after abandonment for many months for lack of funding.

Danmallam called on the Contractor to increase the tempo to ensure early completion of the project to actualize the commitment of the Administration in the provision of befitting working environment for its staff to carry out their official assignments.

Briefing the team earlier, the Contractor handling the project, Mr Ejike Amu pledged to ensure the early completion of the project without compromising quality with the prompt release of funds.

He said the contract was a five-storey building with offices, conference rooms, Parking lodge, Mosque and other structures for the Board.

The contract which was first awarded in the year 2011 was later reviewed and re-awarded in 2014 to serve as office accommodation for the FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

In order to control indiscriminate waste disposal in the the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) , the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu on Thursday unveiled Cash 4 Trash recycling hub in Nyanya area of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

Unveiling the project, the Minister said that the aim of the scheme was to promote healthy environment and erosion control.

She stressed that blocking the drainage with litres has been one of the major factors contributing to flooding in some parts of the territory.  

Aliyu, however, commended the WASTE Africa and the FCT Satellite Towns Development Department for what she described as laudable initiative.  

Her Words , “This scheme will go a long way in controlling blockages on our streets and drainages by ensuring that waste are exchange for cash. Trash to wealth will also empower our youths to earn legitimate income.  

“The era of sitting down and do nothing has gone. The Federal Capital Territory Administration through the Satellite Towns Development Department is partnering with all these bodies and more to ensure that you can pick up some litres and get some money.  

“The scheme will empower the youths and at the same time clean the environment. This is an igneous way of getting money through trash. So, I want to congratulate Nyanya women and youths and also call on them to ensure that they use this scheme judiciously by picking up some litres that can be exchanged for wealth”.  

Earlier, the Convener of WASTE Africa, Ms. Funto Boroffice, said that Abuja lacks recycling plant, hence the need to introduce it in the nation’s capital like most cities in the country.  

She, however revealed that with the support of Coca Cola Foundation, WASTE Africa was able to establish seven recycling hubs in the territory, just as commended the FCT Administration for the partnership.  

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

Not less than 35 inmates of the FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Center Bwari, yesterday, graduated from various sections of the facility, ending five year wait for the students.

The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, who spoke at the 7th graduation ceremony of students of the center, said the Administration has without doubt, demonstrated its commitment to effective service delivery, by providing the needed support for persons with disabilities.

Represented at the event by her Special Assistant on Social Development, Mrs. Simisola Ayoade, the minister charged the grandaunts to make proper and commercial use of the starter parks given to them, even as she assured that the administration will broaden its scope of providing entrepreneurial and skill acquisition with profitable value to persons living with disabilities.

“Government is further taking series of actions in advancing the inclusion of persons with disabilities as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals agenda of the United Nations which is aimed at improving the well being of persons with disabilities as it relates to the 17 SDGs with the ability of opening up communication, independence and improved quality of livelihood for persons with disabilities.

“Furthermore, the Administration is taking additional steps to reinforce the battle against the phenomenon of discrimination which constitutes one of the main challenges that people with disabilities face at every level of society.”

Speaking on the prolong interval since the last graduation in 2015, the Director Social Welfare, Social Development Secretariat of the FCTA, Dr. Felicia Nwogu, identified administrative challenges as being responsible for the delay.

“For about five years now, we have not been able to graduate due to one reason or the other. Before now we have had six graduation ceremonies, then the mandate was on the NGO, Society against Prostitution and Child Labour Eradication in Nigeria, SAPLAN. There was however one or two anomalies that government was not satisfied with while SAPLAN was in charge. We had some administrative issues which constituted a major drawback to the graduation.

“However, going forward, we hope to have graduation ceremonies annually, but of course we don’t expect government to do everything on its own. Some NGOs or institutions can take up this graduation, give the grandaunts starter parks and they can take care of themselves.”

She assured that the Administration will not renege on its pledge to provide critical support for the vulnerable.

The beneficiaries who were trained in leather works, metal fabrication, electronics, welding, fashion designing, tailoring, among other vocations, received starter parks including filling machines, industrial sewing machines, bench grinders among other equipment.

Officials say the equipment and start up capital distributed to the 35 beneficiaries is valued at over N4million.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who is also the Chairman of the National Council on Nutrition has highlighted poverty as a major factor exacerbating malnutrition.

According to him, poverty has been worsened by COVID-19 pandemic and the displacement of large populations as a result of banditry and insurgency.

He made this known at the virtual National Nutrition Summit held yesterday in Abuja.

The Vice President, however, identified the 2016 review of the National Nutrition Policy and the 2017 reconstitution of the National Council on Nutrition as major steps that the government has taken to turn the tide on the issue of nutrition in addition to progressive increases in nutrition allocations.

He commended the conference for what he described as “important conversation on Nutrition”.

Earlier, the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Oludolapo Osinbajo, who represented First Lady of Nigeria, Dr. Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari charged stakeholders to end the scourge of malnutrition ravaging Nigerian children so that they can survive, thrive and possess the requisite cognitive ability to handle the future. To ignore this, she said, is to mortgage our future, “because tomorrow, we would not have competent young adults to run government, businesses or even academia.”

While adding that; “By now we are certain that the Government and people of Nigeria are not oblivious of the nutrition situation in the country. We have also made some progress in recent years, especially having more stakeholders talking about Nutrition, and getting more nutrition-sensitive budget lines at Federal and State levels.”

Mrs. Buhari also drew attention to the current global pandemic, which has worsened the situation by moving all attention and resources towards the containment of the COVID -19 virus, and unconsciously excluding vulnerable children in the process. She stated that their lives are equally as important.

She, however, expressed hope that all stakeholders will strengthen their resolve to make and follow through with their commitments on Nutrition.

Other speakers at the event includes the Minister of Health, Prof. Osagie Ehanire and Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba; both stated that there is clear relationship between malnutrition and underdevelopment with Nigeria having the highest rates of malnutrition in Africa and second highest in the world, calling for more concerted effort to address this negative trend.

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service has said the agency have been able to salvaged properties worth over 2.35 billion Naira from fire outbreaks in seven months.

The Director FCT Fire Service, Julius Opetunsin gave this revelation on Tuesday while inaugurating a new fire station in Zuba.

Saying with the inauguration of the new station at the outskirt will help in curbing cases of fire outbreaks.

According to Opetunsin ;”With the addition of this one now , we have 15 Fire Stations within the FCT. While saying that from January to date we recorded about 325 fire outbreaks.

“It is not only fire that we fight. We also go for recues. Recently we have flood disaster and we have building collapse”

He, however, called on the FCT residents and stakeholders to work with men of the fire service in tackling issues that lead to fire outbreaks.

The Director further hinted that the FCT Minister has put a lot of money together to buy equipment for fighting fire incidences, and must be supported.

His words; “When you go to salvage people, property and people now vandalize those vehicles, they are not encouraging the FCT Minister’s effort. I want to implore them that once there is fire they should just call us and within two to three minutes we are there. They should protect our equipment so that we will protect lives and property” .

Earlier, the Director Legal Services Abuja Municipal Management Council (AMMC), Isah Abdullahi said that the job of a Fire Service Officer is a very important one to the community, residents must support them.

He added that, the FCT minister’s intervention in this regard cannot be overemphasized and must be appreciated.

as Wellbeing Foundation Africa Takes Sensitization To Communities

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

As part of its activities to mark the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) visited communities in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Kwara and Osun states to sensitise women and men especially, on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to the new-born, mother and father.

This is as the foundation took its comprehensive sensitization exercise to the people of Ushafa, Dafa and Yangoji communities, highlighting the positive impacts of exclusive breastfeeding on the healthy development of the child, the short- and long-term health benefits for the mother, the health and financial benefits for the father, as well as its environmental benefits.

The World Breastfeeding Week is a celebration aimed at ensuring the actualization of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of 50% exclusive breastfeeding by 2030. WBFA through its Alive and Thrive and Mamacare programs, has over the years educated women and trained midwives to eschew the practice of premature introduction of breast milk substitutes, this campaign has continued in the WBW2020.

The theme of the WBW2020 is “Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet”, highlighting the environmental impact of infant feeding. The theme aligns with thematic area 3 in the WBW-SDG 2030 campaign which focuses on how breastfeeding affects the environment and climate change.

Speaking on this, Founder of the WBFA, Her Excellency Toyin Ojora Saraki said
“I am delighted to note that the WBFA has increased its programmatic focus and social behavioural change advocacy and actions to engage husbands, and male community leaders, increasing their understanding of the benefits of early and exclusive breastfeeding, and the importance of sanitation and hygiene, from the cradle to age – I expect that with these improved inter-personal communication skills, men will better support new mothers in nourishing and nurturing their babies, strengthen household understanding, and cascade a lowering of sexual and gender based violence.

“Together with our new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Lactation program, I am confident that the WBFA’s concrete steps to improve Maternal Infant And Young Child Feeding and Nutrition in Nigeria, will offer marked results in preventing malnutrition, from the most fragile infant to the healthy newborn and stronger child”

She added that, engaging local leaders, women groups in the markets, as well as adult men at their workplaces, the Foundation emphasized that exclusive breastfeeding provides the new-born child with critical nutrients necessary for healthy development and protects against deadly diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and ear infections.

She further stated that, for mothers, the Foundation noted that exclusive breastfeeding would ensure the return to pre-pregnancy size of the mother’s uterus, and reduce the risk of ovarian and breast cancers.

WBFA also informed men that adhering to exclusive breastfeeding is cost-effective, as research has shown that the total annual global cost of not breastfeeding ranges from $257 billion to $341 billion, excluding economic costs of increased household caregiving time, as well as treatment costs related to other diseases caused by not practicing exclusive breastfeeding according to recommendations, she stated.

Meanwhile, the State Coordinator for WBFA in Abuja, Dr Otun Adewale who led the team said “Our internal data had shown that despite the health and financial benefits to the male folk especially fathers of new-borns, male involvement in the campaign for exclusive breastfeeding is awfully low. This informed our approach in the field exercise we took to these communities.

“Statistics show that 97% of children are actually breastfed in Nigeria but only 29% are exclusively breastfed. We have also noticed that socio-cultural factors come into play to reduce this 29%, so the target is to have at least 50% of exclusively breastfed children in Nigeria by 2030”.

Speaking on the effect of non-exclusive breastfeeding on the environment, Adewale emphasized that Nigeria being responsible for nearly 68% of nondegradable waste in Sub-Saharan Africa, could benefit significantly from exclusive breastfeeding.

While adding that; “The planet is degrading faster by the day and scientists have reported that the major cause of this degradation is solid waste. In Sub-Saharan Africa, we have about 62million tons of waste generated which is significant and unfortunately, Nigeria actually accounts for 42million tons of this waste, that is more than 60%. This is distorting our ecosystem, distorting our environment and degrading the planet as a whole.

“Exclusive breastfeeding is about the baby suckling from the mother’s breast, no need of cups or any other man-made tools, but breastmilk substitutes most times require these things. By 2030 importation of baby feed or substitute would be worth about N200billion which translates roughly to 100million cans of baby feed.

“These baby feed components are metal cans, aluminium foils, plastic spoons for scooping, etc. All these, after use, would be discarded somewhere mostly leading to environmental pollution. We can avoid all these by simply exclusively breastfeeding our children.” Adewale said.

WHO recommends that Exclusive Breastfeeding starts one hour after birth until the baby is 6 months old1, but sadly, in Nigeria, 29% of children are exclusively breastfed during the first 6 months of life.2 Among other factors militating against the practice of exclusive breastfeeding, the foundation noticed that the perception of men and the general public is critical in encouraging mothers to adhere to the practice. This finding informed the need to leverage on the celebration and expand coverage of the sensitization with emphasis on targeting men who are likely the key decision-makers in the family.

…Issues Ultimatum To Traders On Road Corridor To Vacate

TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA

Not less than 25 houses was demolished in Kyami district by the Department of Development Control of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

Director of the department, Tpl. Muktar Galadima who led the exercise on Wednesday stated that the FCTA would not condone land racketeering and grabbing, and would ensure correction of all infractions and abuses of the Abuja Master Plan.

He said ; “The FCT Administration has already made it clear that the actions and activities of land racketeers cannot and will never be condoned. That’s why we are removing all those illegal developments.

“About 25 solid structures were removed, and this is not limited to that estate (Destiny Estate) alone, it’s a continuous exercise and we will remove all illegal structures across the Territory.

“So, what you see here is a continuation of the exercise in tackling the issue of land racketeers and land grabbers in Abuja”, he explained.

Galadima, however, warned; “As always, we strongly advise the public to always ensure compliance and obey the rules and regulations guiding developments in the nation’s capital.
“Abuja is a planned city and you cannot just wake up, cut a chunk of land for yourself and be selling or building for whatever purpose. We will find out and we will surely remove such illegalities and also punish those involved”

It would be report that, about two weeks ago, Galadima also led his men on a similar mission to a property in Lugbe, located behind Dunamis Church, and pulled down structures on another illegal estate allegedly being handled by four developers: Seman Metropolis Estate, Excellent Mega City, St. Michael Villa and Had Hadassan Estate.

In all the exercises, the developers were alleged to have neither allocation papers nor development plan approval to embark on such developments.

Similarly, the Director also issued a 14-day ultimatum to occupants of an illegal building materials market on N16 road corridor in Karsana district, near Gwarinpa district.

According to him, government was desirous of commencing construction on the road but because of its human face, his team was at the market to first sensitizez the traders and find a peaceful way of removing the the market without tears.

He further stated; “Because of the magnanimity of this Administration, we first of all had to sit down with them, tell them the mission and give them room to also make contributions regarding the intended exercise.

“So we told them we would return in a week’s time, but they pleaded for more time, they asked for one month to take out their materials and valuables, but that one month is too long a time, so we agreed on two weeks.”

Warning that his bulldozers would remove all structures in market at expiration of the ultimatum, except indigenous structures, Galadima advised them to relocate into the international building materials market in Dei-Dei, revealing that they were many empty shops in the market to accommodate them.

“This place is a corridor of a road, so the only structures that we will leave here are indigenous structures, belonging to the natives of the area. So any other structure, whether it is permanent or it is temporarily, so long as it is within the corridor of the road, it will be removed.”

N16 road is a long stretch of expressway that traverses Gwarinpa, Jahi, bursts out at Gishiri, connecting Shehu Shagari way.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of building materials traders in the market, Augustin Nwachukwu, while responding on behalf of the traders, expressed appreciation for understanding shown by Development Control officials and submitted that they were aware of status of the market and were not surprised.

He, however, appealed for an alternative place even if it were temporary, to enable them to operate and feed their families and dependents, even as he berated they were been owed and rushing to move out would risk getting their monies from customers who bought on credit difficult if not impossible.

According to him, “Since 2012 that I came here, I know that this place is temporal and one day, government will visit us, but we are pleading with government to temper justice with mercy. We have families and many people we are feeding and this place is where we get our daily bread.

“We have sold to others on credit, and they are yet to pay us back our money, we plead with government to give us more time so we can recover the debts. The two weeks is not enough because to remove the shops is not easy.

“But we appreciate them, because they are very very kind to us. If it was before, they would even come and demolish in the night, but they came to discuss with us to show that they have human sympathy and we appreciate it.”