Paschal Emeka, Abuja | Posted August 28, 2023
The Advocate for Better Leadership and Sustainable Rural Development Initiative (ABLE), an advocacy group has called on the new Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr Nyesom Wike to hit the ground running so as to address the numerous challenges bedeviling the nation’s capital.
Recall that Wike, the immediate past Governor of oil-rich Rivers state, was recently appointed the 17th FCT Minister by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The group in a press conference in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the group, Comrade Destiny Madu, particularly noted concerns about the poor street lights, traffic lights, non-existent mass transit, poor electricity supply, the emergence of slums, and general high cost of living which he noted was occasioned by high cost of rent in the territory.
“We call on the Minister to address the issue of abandoned projects that littered the FCT. We are also urging him to come up with a committee that would regulate the high cost of rent in the FCT. Today, an average Nigerian worker
“There should be innovative ways to make housing affordable for residents. He must summon courage and probe the activities of the Department of Development Control and the Abuja Geographic and Information System (AGIS) as a result of several allegations of corruption against them.
“ We have also seen defective and faulty approvals and poor monitoring of projects in the territory by the Department of Development Control. Over the years, we have witnessed the collapse of several buildings.
“We believe that reckless allocation of land, including wetlands and waterways, is responsible for the floods. Maintenance of the drainage system has been poor.