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”.
