‘Abuja has never been this unsafe’ — reps summon FCT minister over insecurity

The house of representatives has summoned Mohammed Bello, the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), over the insecurity in Abuja. 

The resolution was passed during a plenary session on Tuesday after the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Toby Okechukwu, deputy minority leader of the house.

The nation’s capital has seen a surge in the activities of gunmen in recent weeks.

While leading the debate on the motion, Okechukwu told his colleagues that urgent steps must be taken to protect lives and property in the FCT.

He also lamented the dilapidated state of infrastructure in the country’s capital, noting that even streetlights have been left unrepaired.

“Abuja has never been as unsafe as it is today due, among others, to the influx of bandits and other criminals, lack of modern security infrastructures in the city centre and the satellite towns, and non-maintenance of available ones, including CCTV installations and as little as streetlights,” he said.

“There are concerns that the poor city management bedevilling the FCT is resulting in obvious disorderliness and widespread deterioration, with serious concern the indiscriminate allocation of lands without a matching infrastructural development; and acute lack of infrastructure in the satellite towns and the resort by tax-paying citizens to self-help in territory that should ordinarily model rural development in Nigeria.”

The lawmaker also accused the FCT administration of allocating lands in green areas “in clear breach of the FCT Master Plan”.

“Concerned about the worsening poor waste management practice in the FCT, including dearth and poor maintenance of waste treatment plants, despite Minister of State, FCT’s claim of N8 billion annual expenditure on waste management in the FCT,” he said.

“Also worried about the far-reaching consequences of the absence of a full complement of the FCTA’s administrative structures for about two years since the appointment of the FCT minister, including the non-appointment of mandate secretaries, equivalents of commissioners at state level, to form the FCT executive council.”

The motion was unanimously adopted after it was put to a voice vote by Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house.