As the year 2014 is coming to an end, the FCT Minister, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has said that the year has been so nice to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory because President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration has fulfilled its transformational promises.
The Minister gave this hint Tuesday in his office in Abuja as he gave an overview of the year 2014.
According to him, President Jonathan Administration completed and commissioned 10 projects in the Federal Capital Territory within the year of 2014.
Mohammed revealed that one of such projects is the construction of the multi-billion-naira Phases III & IV (20,000m/hour), Lower Usuma Dam Water Treatment Plants which no doubt has since drastically improved water supply to the Federal Capital City and its environs.
The Minister disclosed that the Transformational Government of President Jonathan has also completed the infrastructure to Katampe District Extension project within the year 2014.
He remarked that the government has further achieved the upgrading of existing engineering infrastructure to Apo/Garki Resettlement Village, Abuja (Lot II-Water supply) as well as upgrading of existing engineering infrastructure to Apo/Garki Resettlement Village, Abuja (Lot I-Road Works).
The Minister reiterated that the Administration has also completed the construction of Flyover Bridge at Mogadishu cantonment in addition, to the design of engineering infrastructure and production of Tender documents to Kyami District.
He said that the FCT Administration has completed the provision of engineering infrastructure to Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) quarters in Wuse II, Abuja and access road / water supply to Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Estate.
The Minister added that the construction of primary infrastructure to National Assembly Owner Occupier Housing Scheme at Dape District, Abuja as well as supply and installation of Laser Automated Burglary Alarm System at Gudu District, Abuja have also been completed.
During the same year, Senator Mohammed said that President Jonathan’s Administration approved a new AGIS Systems Infrastructure for the Abuja Geographic Information System to enhance revenue generation and block losses.
His words: “The idea was muted due to the incessant reports of proliferation of illegal survey documents, violation of the IT systems by fraudulent persons making the government to lose a whopping sum of over N10 billion annually. The FCT Administration has launched new AGIS Systems Infrastructure to block the menace.”
Accordingly, these fraudulent activities have led to cases of double allocations, land racketeering and forgery with estimated racketeering business at over N10 billion, he stressed.
The Minister added that the upgrade now provides AGIS Back-up data centre and state-of-the art 2013/2014 Models Geo-media Satellite Imagery equipment that covers the entire FCT and some neighboring states.
The Minister stated that during the year, the FCT Executive Committee reorganized the Abuja Central Medical Stores to enhance the procurement, storage and distribution of drugs, laboratory reagents, medical gases and other specialized medical items to all FCT Administration Hospitals.
“The approval is to further ensure regular supply of quality and cost effective medical supplies to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory in consonance with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan,” he added.
During the same period, the FCT Administration carried out Needs Assessment of people living with HIV in the Federal Capital Territory with the aim of identifying indigent members, economic status, current level of care and additional services and support requirements.
The Minister emphasized that the FCT Administration within this year formulated and came out with FCT Waste Management Policy to holistically manage both solid and liquid waste within the 8,000 square kilometers of the Federal Capital Territory.
Senator Mohammed revealed that this policy enables the FCT Administration manage various forms of waste not only in the Federal Capital City but also in the six Area Councils including the Satellite Towns in consonance with the vision of the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
This is in addition to official launch of the 8 brand new mechanical sweepers, 4 mechanical litter pickers as well as 2 new Roll-on Roll-off trucks to improve the sanitary standard of Abuja metropolis, he restated.
The Minister further disclosed that the year 2014 saw the commissioning of 100 new high capacity buses to expand the fleet of the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTCO) as well as 300 SURE-P Taxis being the 1st phase of peoples’ oriented scheme.
On the Abuja Rail Mass Transit project, the Minister also revealed that the Federal Government paid the sum of N10 billion from its 2014 SURE-P as counterpart funding which has drastically pushed the project to appreciable stage.
Mohammed also stated that the Administration has inaugurated a 14-Member White Paper Committee on Mass Housing Scheme to revolutionalize the sector and give it the character and direction it desires in conformity with the Abuja Master Plan.
He recalled that during the same period, the Abuja Investment Company Limited owned and managed by the FCT Administration delivered 49 highly luxury apartments christened “AICL Apo Dutse Housing Estate” and was commissioned by Engr. John Obinna Chukwu who represented him at the occasion.
The Abuja Centenary City and the about 10,000 Units of various types of houses under the Nationwide Workers’ Housing Scheme were flagged off by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan during the year 2014.
In order to protect the Abuja Master Plan and encourage harmonious development in the Territory, the Minister remarked that the FCT Administration during the year reconstituted the FCT Urban and Regional Planning Tribunal.
He also reiterated that in its efforts to boost tourism in Abuja, the FCT Administration in partnership with private investors has commenced the development of the Ultra-Modern Jabi Lake Resort in the Phase II of the Federal Capital City, where over N334 billion (about 2 billion US Dollars) would be expended and that President Jonathan will officially flag-off the project by January 8, 2015.
In 2014 FCT Administration also received a delegation of Multi-Billion-Dollars Brazilian investors who were in Abuja to find ways of partnering with FCT Administration which is one of the quick wins of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda.
Senator Mohammed revealed that the delegation was interested in partnering with the FCT Administration on its Rail Mass Transit, Mass Housing as well as road development.
Meanwhile, history was made during the year as the FCT Administration and Chicason Group led Consortium of investors sign an execution agreement to jump-start the construction of the Abuja City Centre Development christened the Abuja Down Town Development costing a whopping sum of 2.75 billion US Dollars.
It would be recalled that Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory during the year was awarded Smarter Cities Challenge grant for 2014 by the International Business Machines (IBM), a multinational technology and consulting corporation, based in the United States of America with a prize of 500,000 US Dollars during the fiscal year.
It gladdens the heart that during the year the Abuja Land Swap Initiative also won for the FCT Administration an international award, which was received by the FCT Minister in Hamburg, Germany. At the occasion in Germany, ICPC also commended the FCT Administration on its effective fight against corruption and land racketeering.
During the year, the Minister also commissioned the 720 beds New Student Hostels at the Baze University, Abuja, promoted 2,201 staff, appointed Mr. Abubakar Sadiq as the new Chief of Staff, approved the immediate appointment of Mr. Salihu Hawat Mohammed as the new Director of Establishment and Training as well as Mr. Baba Shehu Lawan as the new acting Director of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board.
According to him, The FCT Administration sealed up a total of 2,491 facilities and sites in the Federal Capital Territory for non-compliance with Environmental Impact Assessment/Environmental Audit (EIA/EA) regulations.
The Administration also inaugurated the Board for Community and Social Development Project and released the sum of N100 million in order to uplift the standard of living of the less-privileged residents of the Federal Capital Territory.
“To reduce unemployment in the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Administration has graduated 227 youths trained on different vocational skills to harness their potentials,” he said.
During the year, the Board of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) approved the immediate re-structuring of the Authority for greater efficiency, which led to the creation of a new department.
Furthermore, In order to enhance traffic management and security of commuters in the Federal Capital City, the FCT Administration commenced the installation of Control Room project.
During the year, The Special Task Team on the City Cleaning and Management inaugurated by the FCT Administration for the first time, secured conviction and sentencing of 25 Okada riders to jail without option of fines and also officially reported a structural engineer (not a Staff of FCTA) to the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), which has earned the Engineer one-year suspension.
