Development commission for FCT satellite towns: Reps dare FCT minister

THE House of Representatives committee on Federal Capital Territory, FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters on Thursday insisted that the committee would go ahead with a bill that sought to provide for the establishment of Satellite towns Development Commission.

This is coming just as the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, declared that the National Assembly is committed to ensuring accelerated development of satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT minister, Mallam Muhammad Bello, who was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Babatope Ajakaiye had informed the committee that the ministry would not be making input into the proposed bill, saying that, the notification for the hearing came late to them.

He said that, “given the bureaucratic process of government, we are unable to contribute to the bill”.

But members of the committee who were not happy with the minister’s submission insisted that the hearing must go on with or without the ministry’s submission.

This came to fore at a public hearings  on a  Bill for an Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Satellite Towns Development Agency and Bill for an Act to Provide For the Administrative and Political Structure of Area Councils of Federal Capital Territory Area Councils and for other Related Matters.

The Speaker who was represented by the Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Pally Iriase while declaring open the session, lamented that the absence of an enabling law has always created constraints in the operations and output of the Satellite towns as a major organ of development in the FCT.

He maintained that the public hearing on two important Bills are tailored towards grassroots social and political development of the FCT to ensure that it meets up with other emerging capital cities of the World.

“The absence of an enabling law has always created constraints in the operations and output of the Satellite towns as a major organ of development in the FCT.”

Amendment on the second Bill, the Speaker said is to ensure that FCT Area Councils are politically and administratively provided for in a law that clearly defines the extent and functions of the executive and legislative organs of the FCT Area Council and other governmental structures at the Area Council level.

“The House as a democratic and public institution seeks through the instrumentality of this hearing to gather all relevant opinions and facts and take every interest into consideration in its final decisions on the matter”, he stated.

In his opening remark, Hon. Zephaniah Jisalo said that the committee was out to ensure that living conditions of people living in the satellite town are improved