Residents chide FCTA for blowing own trumpet .Says move is diversionary
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory have criticised the unimaginable globetrotting of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through its media department, a gesture viewed to inform the residents of the administration’s policies and aspirations in positive development.
The information department under the leadership of Mrs. Stella Ojeme, is championing the town-to-town, door-to-door announcement of the activities of the FCT Administration under the leadership of the Minister Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello.
According to residents, who spoke to The Abuja Times in an interview, they said that the move is the height of APC leadership disrespect, dishonest to the residents and indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory, and thereby demanded the administration to stop globetrotting while its works speak.
According to Hon. Innocent Ibrahim Yangojzhi, the present leadership of the territory has lost focus and showcased crass ignorance of leadership in implementation of policies to the people. He stressed that the FCT as an annex of the Presidential Villa is not far from the policy summersault being experienced in the entire administration.
Hon. Innocent Yongojzhi said: “This people think we are all fools. How can they leave issues at the front burner and start dancing rhythm from a broken calabash? We have serious issues here and that is non-appointment of mandate secretaries to help pilot the affairs of the administration. Now the administration is two years in office with no mandate secretary in place to handle the affairs of the secretariats. So they want us to start dancing; they need not go about announcing what they are doing because their predecessors did no such but we saw what they did”.
Hon. Yongojzhi stressed that part of the requests of the FCT to the Federal Government has either been rejected or suspended. Such requests, he revealed, are the adoption of mayoral posts to govern the FCT and also the appointment of indigenous minister of FCT since the constitution provides that the FCT should be given the status of a state.
Mr. Moses Yab, a farmer, noted that the powers that be has most of FCT administration’s policies going contrary to the policies of land allocation as most of the farm lands are being given to the elite in the society.
His words: “They told us that there are lands mapped out for agriculture but everywhere has been allocated out so we are at the cross road and there is no hope for agriculture in the future. Again, I would like to remind you of the pending case of land swap policy of the previous administration. We thought that this administration which promised ‘change ‘would be able to revisit the matter and reverse things but suddenly things have become the same and we can see no difference rather things have gotten worse by the day. So whom are they fooling with their going from house to house cajoling people, this is a charade. They do not need to blow their trumpet because good work speaks for itself”.
A member of the FCT youth organisation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, urged that present administration to seek help from those who have managed the affairs in the past as this will ensure better synergy than continue to beat about the bush.
“I recommend that the present leadership should employ the services of people like Governor of Kaduna State in some policy implementation, because he was the one who adopted the system of mandate secretaries for fast dispensation of projects and also to help civil servants of the FCT to attend the same status of Federal civil servants. As it stands now, 80% of management staff of the in the service are at the acting capacity and what this means is that there will be stagnation in project execution as all the files goes to the permanent secretary’s table and only God knows when such will stop”.
Meanwhile, the sensitisation exercise being carried out by staff of the Department was said to have aimed at informing citizens of the policies and projects being implemented by the FCT Minister.
The programme was said to gather feedback from residents on their impact on the people. The sensitisation exercise in the metropolis took place specifically at Wuye Market, the Fish Market at Life Camp, Gudu Market and Gwarinpa Secondary School.
The team of information officers on the sensitisation said that the programmes being carried out by the FCT Minister include the construction of a Federal University of Science and Technology and 5 more secondary schools in the FCT.
Furthermore, the FCT Minister is focused on the ease of transportation evidenced by his approval for road construction in Apo Resettlement and the commencement of the metro railway.
It said the Minister is also working with security agencies to ensure security is also partnering with area councils to improve collaboration and cooperation in the areas concerning sanitation to create a safe and secure environment in Abuja.
At the markets, the various chairmen from each market and the school administration were briefed on the goals of the sensitization exercise. Chairmen of the various market associations expressed their appreciation of the work being carried out by the FCT Minister and also expressed their willingness to cooperate with the FCT minister in fulfilling the goals of the sensitisation exercise.
“We are happy to partner with the FCT Minister to promote cleanliness and have informed shop owners to always have a dust bin to put in their waste. The FCT Minister’s message will be addressed on the markets’ meeting day. We look forward to working with the FCT Minister,” said Mr. Bond Henry Nnamani, Chairman of Gudu market.
After meeting with the chairman of each market, the marketers were then briefed on the sensitisation programme, where the focus was on the importance of cleaning the environment to make the markets clean as well as the projects carried out by the FCT Minister. An emergency help line, “112” was given to stakeholders at the markets to call in case of emergency.
