PRESS RELEASE: CHANGE AGENDA TAKES ROOTS, AS FCT MINISTER SWEARS-IN MANDATE SECRETARIES, HIGHLIGHTS ACHIEVEMENTS

It was a harvest of encomiums as the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello today swore-in the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Mandate Secretaries as well as Coordinators of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council and Satellite Town Development Department.  

In his address at the occasion which was fully attended by the FCT political leaders, including Senators and House of Representatives Members, the FCT Minister highlighted the achievements of his Administration in the past two years. According to him, the Administration has completed major infrastructural projects in the city. These, he stressed, were already having significant impacts on the lives of FCT residents and bolstering its economy.

Malam Bello pointed to the significant works that have been done in the three major access ways into the City namely; the Outer Northern and Inner Southern Express Ways as well as the major arterials into the heart of the City, also known as the Constitution and Independence Ways. Some of these, he added, are ready for use by the public while major finishing touches were going on.

The Minister also revealed that the some packages of Abuja light rail projects, which he met variously at below 70 and 50 percent completion, have now reached 98 percent completion under his watch. He announced that residents should expect to ride on these trains by Christmas this year. In the same vein, he revealed that airport passengers would now have a choice, either to board cabs on arrival or departure or ride on trains from or to the airport train station to the Central Business District Central Station.

His words, “Our key areas of focus as also included to strengthen the institutional framework for the delivery of services and embarking on a wide range of reforms. The principal objectives of some of the reforms were plugging leakages and sanitizing the system.”

Malam Bello announced that by these accomplishments, the Administration was already harvesting fruits of the change agenda. He disclosed that he has made substantial payments to both local and foreign contractors enabling them to remobilize to sites. The major benefits he declared are that dead sites have come alive again, thousands of jobs have been saved, while the economy of the capital is flourishing again.

The Minister announced that the appointments of the new Mandate Secretaries and political aides is a signal for the commencement of the next phase of the Administration’s developmental initiative. This, he said would be marked by massive investments in infrastructure in the satellite towns and rural areas. Other areas of priority in this phase, he said, would include education, health and making Abuja a smart city.

He therefore, charged the new appointees to immediately get fully acquainted with the direction and priorities of the administration as well as the public service rules and government procurement guidelines in line with the Administration’s zero tolerance to corruption.

In their remarks at the occasion, the Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Senator, Dino Melaye, Deputy Chairman House Committees on FCT and Chairman, House Committee on FCT Area Councils, Honourables Ogun Sergius and Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo respectively, commended the FCT Minister for his landmark strides in the development of the Federal Capital Territory and urged the newly inaugurated political appointment to rise up to the high standards already set by the Minister.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa, noted that this event was a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts of the FCT Minister to reposition and reinvigorate the Administrative machinery of the FCT. He welcomed the new appointees to the saddle and reiterated the necessity for team work and synergy in the effort to drive the agenda of the present Administration.

Delivering the Vote of Thanks on behalf of the new appointees, the Chief of Staff, Alh. Mohammad Bashir Mai-Bornu thanked the Minister for the implicit trust in the new appointees and pledged their commitment to partnering with the FCT citizens, FCTA staff and stakeholder to deliver on the mandates of the Administration.

Cosmas Uzodinma
Press Secretary,
FCT Minister