In order to decongest the Federal Capital City, the FCT Administration will give very serious attention to the development of the six Area Councils and the Satellite Towns.
The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, gave this assurance while receiving briefs from the FCT Area Council Services Secretariat at the Banquet Hall, Minister’s Official residence, Gwarinpa I District, (Life-Camp), Abuja on Wednesday.
The Minister therefore charged the professional departments in the Secretariat to work in harmonious relationship to actualize this lofty vision.
Bello reiterated that if the Satellite Towns are given the required attention by providing the necessary infrastructure, most residents would not be struggling to remain in the city centre.
According to him, the Area Council Services Secretariat has the onerous task of providing quality policy framework to make these areas more conducive which will in turn reduce the pressure in the city centre.
While receiving briefs from the Abuja Investment Company Limited (AICL), the Minister directed the company to revisit the concept of the Farmers’ Market by building more at other locations in Abuja.
He however insisted that the Farmers’ Markets must be Farmers Market in real sense but not just by name; stressing that the premier Farmers’ Market in Maitama District at inception depicts the freshness of fresh farm produce but now the concept seems to be abused.
The Minister tasked the Abuja Markets Management Limited to ensure that environmental cleanliness remains their watchword in all the FCT Markets and that leakages must be blocked to improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Meanwhile, as the management of the Abuja Broadcasting Corporation also briefed, the Minister assured that money would be made available to the contractor handling the studio facilities of the Aso Television to jump-start the operation of the station.
Bello called on the management team to find alternative ways of funding by looking inwards.
Also speaking during the briefing session, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye asked Directors in the Area Council Services Secretariat to brainstorm on how to assist the six Area Councils resolve the knotty problem of salary arrears owed Council workers.
Dr. Ajakaiye urged them to continue to be exemplary in their conduct for the Area Councils to emulate.
