FCT WATCH

Aliero to clamp down on governors, ministers over traffic offences
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Senator Adamu Aliero is set to tackle the menace of governors, ministers and other highly placed members of society that flouts traffic regulations in the FCT.
To this end, the minister has concluded plans for a task force that would rein in the convoys of these personalities that are blamed for the increase in road accidents in the nation’s capital.
At the end of the weekly security meeting last week, the FCT commissioner of police, Mr. Haruna John who addressed the press on behalf of the administration said: “The Administration has observed with great concern the incessant increase of road crashes in the Federal Capital Territory,” blaming highly placed individuals as the major offenders.
The minister warned that his administration would henceforth go after such persons with a view to prosecuting them, disclosing that mobile courts have been set up in strategic places within the territory to prosecute offenders.
While he did not give the accident statistics, he however noted that the rate of accident in the FCT have increased from February to April, 2009 attributing the rise to recklessness and impatience on the part of motorists.
According to him, the newly constituted task force would comprise of police, marshals and officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission, men and officers of the Directorate of Road Services, as well as the department of State Security Service.
The minister, who reiterated the administration’s resolve to prosecute any person caught violating traffic rules irrespective of the position in society, also charged the task force to carry out its duty without fear or favour.
“The rate of accident due to flagrant disobedience to traffic rules especially convoys of highly placed persons are on the increase in FCT. The Administration has observed with great concern the sharp increase of accident between the month of February and April, 2009.
“In view of this ugly trend, we want to use this medium to inform all road users in the Federal Capital Territory that the Administration has set up a Task Force to deal with offenders no matter how highly placed in the society. This of course include convoys of governors, ministers, Senate president, Speakers of various Houses of Assembly and other personalities who enjoy the privilege of security men attached to them,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr. Charles Akpabio, Sector Commandant of FRSC, said the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), of the Federal Government could only be realized if government officials implement policies as stipulated by law, expressing the regret that most of the nation’s highly placed persons have lost their lives due to road accidents.

Monthly sanitation in Abuja to begin May-AEPB

As part of efforts to ensure a sustainable environment, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB has concluded plans to for monthly environmental sanitation exercise starting in May.
Director of the board, Dr. Abubakar Yabo, told our correspondent that the monthly sanitation exercise would help in awakening residents to their responsibility of helping to keep the city clean, adding that a publicity committee has been set up to inform residents of the new development.
Yabo also said that movement of persons would be restricted during the period except those on essential services, even as he called on all residents to cooperate with the board in ensuring that Abuja as the window of Africa remains one of the cleanest cities in the world.
On the involvement of the six Area Councils of the FCT, the AEPB boss stated that the councils have been charged to carry out the exercise simultaneously in their various councils, stressing that the minister had already given directive to the council chairmen on the need to maintain high level hygiene in their respective councils.
Other than the monthly sanitation, the director maintained that the board would continue to carry its routine sanitation in the city center, stressing that the partnership with the private sector was working for the present administration.

Aliero orders SDAs to complete contract award in June
In line with its policy of transparency and accountability, the Federal Capital Territory Executive Committee has directed all Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) to complete the award of contracts in the 2009 budget by the end of June.
FCT Minister, Senator Adamu Aliero who gave the order in Abuja also said that his executive was committed to full implementation of the 2009 budget to ensure that residents of territory reap the dividends of democracy in tune with vision of the Seven Point Agenda of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
While processing the contract award, Aliero instructed that all the SDAs must ensure full compliance with the Procurement Act, warning that any officer found wanting would not be spared.
The Minister maintained that a level playing field must be provided for all interested contractors in order to get the best value for the money being expended.
According to him, the present dispensation of leadership in the FCT Administration is not ready to take any excuse for failure to implement the budget.
His words: “The residents of the Federal Capital Territory are yearning for development; therefore it is now left for us in government to strive to meet their aspirations.
“We are entering an era of continuous provision of democratic dividends because we are determined that Mr. President’s Seven Point Agenda be first achieved in Abuja.”
Aliero said that his administration will not accept unimpressive implementation of the budget and therefore charged all the SDAs to sit up to ensure 100 per cent implementation of the budget by the end of the year.