Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has read the riot act to the management and staff of the FCT Administration, with a directive for them to roll up their sleeves and work or be redeployed.
Wike, while receiving the handover notes from the Permanent Secretary of the FCTA, said part of the short term goals of the new administration was to ensure full functioning of street lights across the territory, city sanitation, tackle the menace of street hawking, illegal markets and motor parks.
He advised the directors and heads of secretariats, departments and agencies to seek immediate redeployment if they don’t have the capacity to deliver on their current tasks.
He assured the leadership of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, of his commitment to ensure adequate funding of the SDAs to execute short term projects.
According to him, “Everyone who has responsibilities must show commitment in doing the right things. The important thing we must do is to ensure that Abuja is back to what it ought to be. I moved around Abuja and found out there are total darkness in most of the places. What we need to do is to ensure light come back as soon as possible.
“Our environment must be kept clean, you must be on your toes. If you do not have the capacity, please leave. It is a privilege for us to be serving in this capacity and I will not allow anyone to drag me back. If you are in charge of sanitation. I will call you at anytime of the day.
“We shouldn’t allow motor parks all over the places, something must be done, as soon as possible. If you cannot meet up my standard say it now so that we can change you. You have to take a decision. We must be firm, things must work.
“Things are tough, I agree, but that does not make us to be lawless. Street trading is prohibited, people selling corn, will drop their waste indiscriminately and these are the things that causes insecurity, criminals come to buy and use the opportunity to spy and give informations to criminals. It is imperative we clear street hawkers,” he stated.
The minister also identified issues of land allocation and city development as a serious crisis area said, “Development Control is a serious crisis area, we have to stop, why are there illegal structures and shanties everywhere. We will demolish any illegal structures, no matter how highly placed, the structure will come down,” he explained.
Earlier, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, thanked President Bola Tinubu, for the appointment and also assigning them to the FCTA.
According to her, “I am of the firm belief that, together, and with your support, we will replicate what the minister has done in Rivers state in the nation’s capital, especially at the area councils and the satellite towns, so that the lives of our people in the rural areas will be positively touched.
“It is also instructive to state that maximum commitment, cooperation and loyalty is expected from all the staff, becuase it will not be business as usual.”
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola assured the ministers of the unalloyed support of the entire staff of the FCT Administration in ensuring the actualization of the mandate of President Tinubu.
