Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide
By Senator Iroegbu
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Ministerial Committee on Clean and Green Greater Abuja Initiative and the Satellite Towns Development Agency (STDA) will Monday begin an advocacy and sensitisation programme for the cleaning and greening of Area Councils and Satellite Towns in the FCT.
The Chairman of the Ministerial Committee and Director of the STDA, Alhaji Tukur Ibrahim Bakori, disclosed this Sunday in Abuja that the advocacy & sensitisation programme would hold simultaneously in three Area Councils of the FCT including Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji.
Bakori explained that the sensitisation committee at the area council levels would move in immediately to begin house to house sensitisation of the residents to ensure a clean environment in the area councils and satellite towns.
He said: “The Ministerial Committee will beginning from Monday hold an advocacy and sensitisation programme on cleaning and greening area councils and satellite towns with the Chairmen and other Stakeholders from three Area Councils of Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji. Bwari Area Council will hold on Tuesday, September 11.
“The other stakeholders expected at the meeting are traditional rulers, religious leaders, district heads, opinion leaders, market women, National Union of Road Transport Workers, civil society organisations and associations.
“The Monitoring Sub-Committee will this week commence work at the area councils. They are to identify and mark collection centres for refuse dumps by the residents,” he added.
It will be recalled that the Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, had on August 23, 2012 inaugurated the Committee with the mandate of building effective and sustainable enforcement strategies in the cleaning and greening of the satellite towns.
Akinjide had during the inauguration of the Committee said that the STDA would engage 300 youths and women from the six Area Councils of the FCT for the cleaning and greening of the satellite towns.
She directed the committee members to recommend appropriate and sustainable waste management strategies for the satellite towns.
“The Ministerial Committee will work out the details on the engagement of the engaging 50 youths and women in each of the six area councils. Let me however state here that the engagement of the youths and women won’t be based on party lines. We want people that are ready to work,” she said.
The minister also ordered the ministerial committee to embark on aggressive tree planting exercise and vegetation control to achieve the greening of the satellite towns.
Other members of the committee include: the Senior Special Assistant (Special Duties) to the Minister of State, Mrs. Jummai Kwanashie; Director, Inspectorate, Planning and Monitoring of Area Councils Service Secretariat (ACSS), Architect Joshua Kaura; Director of Development Control, FCTA, Mr. Yahaya Yusuf; Director of FCT National Orientation Agency, Mr. Moses Disa Aba; Director of Urban & Regional Planning, FCTA, Mr. Abubakar Sulaiman; and Director of Parks & Recreation, Mr. Luka Bulus Achi.
Also in the committee are Special Assistant on Environment to the Minister of State, Mr. Ayo Sotinrin; Special Assistant to the Secretary of Social Development Secretariat, Mr. Dominic Oga; Heads of Department (HODs) of Area Councils Environment Department; and Federal Ministry of Information Officers in the six Area Councils.