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FCTA

BREAKING: ‘Hoodlums took everything’ – FCTA confirms looting of its warehouse

by Folarin Kehinde March 4, 2024

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD) Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has confirmed the looting of its Dei-Dei warehouse by suspected hoodlums.

Leading reporters learnt that hoodlums broke into a government-owned warehouse and looted dozens of foodstuff and other items over the economic hardship in the country.

Spokesperson of the ARD Secretariat, Zakari Aliyu, said the Secretary, earlier visited the warehouse, adding that the attackers looted everything in the store and vandalised the place, removing the roofs and windows.

He added that the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, and the FCT Mandate Secretary, Agric Secretariat, Lawan Geidam, will also visit the facility on Monday.

“We visited the scene of the incident this morning. We visited with the Secretary and some other officials of the Secretariat. So, by tomorrow, the Secretary I think with the Minister of State will pay another visit to that place,” he said.

“I am sure that a lot of information that will be useful to you, you will get it. If you can just be patient, tomorrow you will get all the information you need. If you go there, there is nothing there. If you know that place, do you know that they removed the roof, and the windows inclusive, apart from the food items?”, he added.

This newspaper earlier reported that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had denied reports that its Abuja warehouse was looted.

NEMA added that the Director-General Mustapha Habib Ahmed, had instructed the strengthening of security at its zonal offices and warehouses nationwide, “to forestall any security breach at NEMA facilities”.

March 4, 2024 0 comments

Leading Reporters Books Across Borders Initiative has decried negligence of rural Primary schools in FCT lead by Solomon Oseagah

NGO bemoans negligence of rural schools in FCT; describes LEA Primary Sch Kpakpantoshi as worse than IDP camp

by Leading Reporters January 21, 2023

written by Leading Reporters

A non-governmental pro-educational organization, Books Across Borders Initiative has decried negligence of rural Primary schools in FCT by the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

Leading Reporters Books Across Borders Initiative has decried negligence of rural Primary schools in FCT

Members of the board of trustees of the organization, led by Mr. Solomon Oseagah, during one of their periodic visits to schools in rural areas observed that LEA Primary School, Kpakpantoshi Angwa Shehu Karimo Abuja has been left in a state worse than an IDP camp.

***NGO bemoans negligence of rural schools in FCT; describes LEA Primary Sch Kpakpantoshi as worse than IDP camp***

Mr Oseagah who led the team of the board of trustees to the school expressed displeasure at what he described as outright negligence of schools in rural areas by the authorities of the Federal Capital territory.

Addressing newsmen in the organization’s office following inspection of rural schools in FCT, the Chairman, Board of Trustees Light Shedrack said it has become worrisome that FCT administration has continued to cater for schools within the city center, while blatantly neglecting schools and students in rural areas of the federal capital.

He said the school building poses danger to the lives of the pupils even as he said that there are no learning facilities that could aid pupils in their studies.

“From what we saw today, it is obvious that the administration of the Federal capital territory concentrates on schools within the city centers. We have been visiting schools in rural and isolated areas, and our experience is nothing to write home about.

“Today, we visited the LEA Primary School Kpakpantoshi and what we say was better imagined than experienced. From dilapidated buildings which pose safety threat to the lives of the pupils, to classrooms without ceilings, writing boards, desks and tables. The teachers have no enabling and conducive environment to teach. No library. No learning aids and materials. The condition of the pupils could be said to be worse than children in IDP camps. Some of the pupils sit on bare floor to study. The truth is that those children are exposed to avoidable dangers.

Mr. Shedrack said that the school is one of the schools the organization has enlisted in its ”One-child, One-Book Project” of the organization. He therefore called on the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory, the senator and honourable members, including the local council authorities representing Kpakpantoshi constituency to hasten to the help of the pupils before the unimaginable happens.

Books Across Borders Initiative is a pro-literacy and skills acquisition advocate group comprising of educationists, authors and other stakeholders in educations and skills acquisition. The group donates mind-enriching books to schools and pupils in rural and isolated areas in Nigeria.

January 21, 2023 0 comments

Headlines

FCT VIO To Crush 1,500 Impounded Motorcycles

by Folarin Kehinde March 21, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that the administration was set to destroy 1,500 motorcycles impounded by the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) otherwise known as Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) from riders who violated traffic rules and regulations in the nation’s capital.

Director of DRTS, Abdulateef Bello, made this known when he paid an on-the-spot visit to the DRTS Taskforce office in Wuye to acquaint himself with the activities of the team.

“Like we did the last time, these motorcycles have been impounded and awaiting crushing exercise, they are motorcycles that were arrested, contravening the law and regulations, driving against the traffic within the Federal Capital City (FCC)

“Right now we have over one thousand two hundred waiting to be crushed. As much as the exercise is ongoing, we are calculating by our estimation when we have one thousand five hundred motorcycles, then we begin another second round of the crushing.

“These motorcycles were impounded within three to four months, we did the last exercise around November and December, then we started assembling the newly impounded motorcycles,” he said.

Bello, however, said that government will not rest on its oars until the nation’s capital was free from Okada, which constitutes a nuisance and security threat.

He warned Okada riders to obey the rules and the restraining order not to ply the FCT routes, adding that, “They should stay within the confined areas such as estates and market places, not to approach the highways. So, all those that contravened the law will face this particular punishment of having their bikes crushed.”

Speaking on what they will use the crushed Okada for, the DRTs boss said it will be given to auctioneers who have use for the parts, which can be converted into other economic use that will, in turn, help to eliminate poverty in away and also boost revenue generation in FCT.

March 21, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

FCTA Locks Out Unvaccinated Workers From Accessing Premises

by Folarin Kehinde January 17, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has commenced the implementation of the circular issued last week that threatened to bar all unvaccinated workers from accessing its premises.

Members of staff of the FCTA who reported to duties on Monday were jolted when they learnt that of the screening by security agencies.

It was gathered that those who could not provide evidence of vaccination were prevented from accessing the premises.

A senior official of the FCTA who preferred anonymity said those that have not been vaccinated were prevented from entering the premises and were asked to go get vaccinated.

Recall that the FCTA last week issued a warning that all unvaccinated staff would be barred from accessing its premises with effect from Monday, January 17, 2022.

The warning was contained in a circular signed by the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, which was issued on Monday, January 10, 2022.

The circular was addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) all Mandate Secretaries, Coordinators of AMMC, STDD as well as Heads of all Departments and FCTA Agencies.

The circular reads in part that: “All members of staff are therefore required to show evidence of COVID-19 Vaccination or present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result done within 72 hours, failure of which such members of staff will not be allowed to the office premises commencing from Monday, January 17, 2022.”

January 17, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Abuja’s Utako Village: Where Prostitutes deliberately infect ‘Customers’ with HIV/AIDS

by Folarin Kehinde September 11, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

Prostitution which was once an immoral act to engage in has now become one of the fastest growing business in major cities without leaving the shanties aside.

The ever growing rate of unemployment and harsh economic situation has contributed to the ‘booming’ business as a major means of livelihood for perpetrators.

The business has transcended beyond the illiterates, school drop-out but graduates now fully engage in this act owing to rate of unemployment and pressure to meet up familys’ ever increasing demand.

Of greater worry is the huge number of young teenagers from 16-upward engaging in this act to be paid as little as #500 for short time and #2000 for full time.

Sadly, many of the parents of this girls believes that their daughters are engaged in legitimate business in the city center and even encourage them to be more hardworking and pray for them owing to the money and goddies sent home on daily basis.

Kutako, fondly called Utako a centre of attraction in the Federal Capital Territory because of its proximity to anywhere in the capital city is always abuzz with commercial activities both day and night.

And as such, it is not so surprising that while many hustling residents engage in legitimate business, the village (utako) houses one of the cheapest hub forcommercial sex workers in the FCT.

The village is also known as hideouts for drug peddlers, criminals and smokers who consume and sell drugs to customers, the high and mighty secretly patronize them too.

The FCTA recently demolished over 1000 shanties but the rate at which prostitutes has returned is quite alarming.

In what seems like a nightmare, the prostitutes deliberately infect their “Customers” with HIV/AIDS, one of the prostitutes was caught verbally saying this.

As they (Prostitutes) are commonly known as best friends of benefits and worse enemy, over the week a hot argument ensued between them and led to a street bloody fight in broad day light.

One of the prostitutes, out of annoyance threatened to arrest her colleague whom she fought with with claim that her friend infects men with HIV/AIDS.

In her words ” So you think you can fight abi, see how you use your fingers to disfigure my face, don’t worry, I will deal with you”.

“I am going to report you to the police for infecting men with HIV/AIDS, you have been sharing it for a long time, I just pity men that come here, they don’t know anything!

September 11, 2021 0 comments

Business Headlines

Banks to vacate Abuja choicest Area in 7days…

by Leading Reporters March 10, 2021

written by Leading Reporters

Banks and other business organization might begin to count their loss following a seven-day ultimatum given to them

by the FCTA Administration to vacate Maitama relocate to the Central Business District or risk being sealed up.

The Acting Director, Department of Development Control, Mr Garba Kwamkur, gave the warning when the department visited the popular Gana Street in Maitama on Tuesday.

Kwamkur explained that the objective of the visit was to sensitise business operators on the need to revert all the banks and other commercial hubs to their original allocated locations.

“The department had a week ago served notification to all the buildings that have been converted to commercial use to revert them to the residential purposes but they failed to comply,” he said.

Kwamkur directed the banks and other business organisations to relocate to Central Business District or Idu Industrial Estate which the FCT master plan provided for.

The acting director warned that their business premises would be sealed off at the expiration of the seven days ultimatum.

Meanwhile, Kwamkur, revealed that over 200 hectares of land in the Federal Capital City had been encroached by illegal land grabbers raising unapproved structures around the Lugbe District.

According to him, over 150 criminals have encroached into areas meant for public facilities in the Sabon-Luge area of the district.

“As you are aware the FCT Administration has pronounced that Lugbe will be incorporated into the Federal Capital City proper.So the plan is being incorporated to have the same kind of infrastructure as those in the city.

“This area was planned for public facilities such as schools, markets, hospitals, and other public utilities.

“But land grabbers have now encroached into the area and captured all the plots meant for public facilities and are developing them as housing estates.

“Thereby denying space for the necessary amenities that will be needed for the district in the future,” he said.

Kwamkur added that the department would forward the list of suspected offenders to the FCT Police commissioner to track and prosecute them as specified by the law

March 10, 2021 0 comments

Headlines

World Day of Social Justice: NAS Calls for financial security against fraud

by Folarin Kehinde February 22, 2021

written by Folarin Kehinde

As Nigeria joins the World to Commemorate the 2021 World Day of Social Justice, the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity), Sahara Deck, Abuja has raised concern over the increasing rate of electronic financial fraud perpetrated by fraudsters within the country.

The Capoon, Sahara Deck, Mr. Victor Ofili in a statement over the weekend noted that electronic financial fraudsters operate at will due to insecurity in the system and lack of social justice for victims.

According to Mr. Victor, preventable loopholes such as insecurity, lack of enforcement and sufficient deterrent policies on the part of the government to ensure that financial institutions collaborate with security agencies in getting swift and decisive result in responding to cases of electronic financial fraud which is more often than not being exploited by fraudsters in a transactional process through registered bank accounts should be looked into in order to reduce the billions lost to fraudsters.

He added that in order to curb this menace, there should be a trusted and secured administrative system from the financial institutions in the country and other appropriate financial regulatory agencies on financial security for the benefit of the populace in an increasingly digital economy.

Speaking on the theme, A call for Social Justice for Digital Economy, he stated that of greater worry is the plight of the victims whose hard earned money are lost to financial fraud and are still denied social justice and compensation.

“The pervasiveness of this crime is nothing short of devastating to victims in a Nigerian polity where access to social justice is seen to be a herculean task.”

Mr. Victor thereby call on the government, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and other stakeholders in the financial sector to engage the public on sensitization and enlightenment programme at at nipping the menace to the bud.

“It is our wish that the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) takes the lead in curtailing this social menace by engaging the public in a developmental role geared towards public capacity building and sensitization program that will serve to enlighten the residents of the Federal Capital Territory of the pros and cons of the inadvertent migration to digital economy as the whole world and human relations are radically transformed to a more remotely day to day activities via online transactions
rather than physical contacts.”

He added that the association will continue to act as a watchdog over government policies and assist victims of social injustice in her quest to promote access to justice.

February 22, 2021 0 comments