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Reps lament deplorable infrastructure, education, security across FCT

Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday decried the deplorable state of infrastructure, education and security across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The lawmakers expressed the concerns during an interactive session with FCT Minister of State, Mariam Mahmood during the inaugural meeting of the House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, chaired by Hon. Fred Agbedi.

Hon. Agbedi who underscored the need for members of the Committee to serve the country, particularly the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils, observed that the people whose welfare is paramount in the discharge of our duties.

“To the Hon. Minister(s) and other critical stakeholders, I ask for your support and cooperation, for without it, running this committee will be an uphill task. Like a machine, we are all components and must work together for the success of this committee and the betterment of the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils.

“Therefore, we shall pay attention to all the sectors under our mandate particularly agriculture, cultural festivals, resettlement schemes, satellite town development and responsibilities as it concerns the indigenes and residents, chieftaincy development in the Area Councils, improved revenue drive, inter-house sports in schools to identify and develop talents as well as education and health development.

“In all, as a committee, we shall take our oversight functions seriously to improve service delivery to the people.”

In his intervention, Hon. Sada Soli frowned at the failure of successive FCT Ministers in the provision of requisite infrastructure across the six Area Councils.

“The Area Councils in the FCT, need the attention of every legislator. I’ve been in the FCT for the last 30 years, the area Councils are left behind, and they need to catch up with the development of FCT. They are truly left behind.

“So, we need to do everything possible to see that Area Councils catch up with the development phase of the FCT.

“It will be regrettable if a number of us go through the area Councils, if you travel through the Area Councils, travel from here to Rubochi, you’ll shed tears, asking is this in FCT, is this really the FCT that is generating second revenue platform in the country?

To this end, he observed that the Committee has a “daunting task to help the area Councils so that can be called area Councils.”

On his part, Hon. Mathew Nwogu who warned the FCT Minister and other officials against any wrongdoing going forward said: “The times of doing wrong things and calling it right is over. FCT to me is not Ajegunle. FCT is supposed a centre of attraction and if the centre is okay and the surrounding is bad, it means there’s no centre.

“And if you are going to Abuja and you go to Gwagwalada or go to Abaji or all those areas and you start asking yourself the question, is this Abuja? That means something is wrong.

“Therefore for myself and most of our Colleagues here, I think moving and developing Area Councils is a mandate we must take seriously, and I think the Minister and her Perm Sec and others are ready. You see, anything worth doing at all is worth doing well. And I’m sure the president labels his budget of the renewed hope meaning that there’s hope.

“I’ve spent some time here in Abuja, but I don’t like going around in the evening because you don’t what’s happening. But this city is supposed to be a city where it should be 24 24-hour city, where somebody can wake up and go wherever he wants to go.”

He therefore stressed the need for the FCT administration to prioritize education, saying “Education is the fabric of development. If the Area Council’s schools are run down, and the kids cannot study in a conducive environment, it means we are failing in any mandate that we are given.

Another member who has spent 35 years in FCT noted that the territory is a home for all.

“All of us have travelled wide, we see how capital cities are. Those countries are not that they don’t have rural areas, they have but if you go to their rural areas, especially the ones that are close to their cities, there are no amenities that are in the urban area that is not in the rural places.
So, we want FCT to function like that.

He also tasked the FCT Minister with the need to fix security challenges bedevilling the capital city.

Also speaking, a member representing AMAC/Bwari federal constituency of FCT, Hon. Joshua Chinedu Obika expressed displeasure over the deplorable state of infrastructure across the six Area Councils.

On his part, Hon. Ginger who frowned at the level of disregard for the National Assembly, underscored the need to summon all the Chairmen of the six Area Councils.

He said: “In your address in the protocol, you recognized the executive chairmen of the six Area Councils that make up the fact but I can’t see any of them here. I’ve also quickly inquired and 2as told that even in the 9th Assembly, at no point have they been invited and they will appear. This is a great disrespect to this House.

“In the first instance, this is the House of Assembly for these Area Councils. I can tell you that I’ve been three times transitional chairman, and two terms elected chairman so I see no reason why chairmen of these Area Councils will not appear before this Committee. I consider it the greatest disrespect.

“If you’re talking about the development of the FCT, the development of the FCT must be in the various local governments of the FCT, that’s the government that is closer to the people. So, Mr. Chairman I want to draw your attention to it and want to let them know that this is the 10th Assembly, it’s no longer business as usual.

“Few days ago, the House Committee on Public Petitions issued an arrest warrant for the CBN Governor to be arrested, this Committee also has the same powers. Honourable Minister, you are the one coordinating these chairmen, they must appear before this Committee. What we are doing here is our constitutional role given to us by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nobody is more Nigerian than the other. I want to say that we need to invite these people again and see if they will not come!

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