PRESS RELEASE:WORLD URBAN FORUM, FCTA PARTNERS UN HABITAT TO CONSOLIDATE GAINS

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has indicated that FCT Administration is setting a machinery in motion towards harnessing the benefits of the recently concluded World Urban Forum in Malaysia.

The FCT Minister, made this disclosure when the Programme Manager, UN Habitat, Mallam Kabir M. Yari paid him a courtesy call in his office on Tuesday, March 20, 2018.  

While acknowledging past relationship between the FCT Administration and the UN Habitat, Bello said the administration will also explore the option of signing an MOU with the organization to formalize their relationship towards issues of urban renewal and slum upgrading. The Minister also indicated that the Administration is willing to have a formal arrangement with the United Nation agency for staff trainings on how to surmount the challenges of running a modern capital city.

The Minister who also revealed that his recent trip to Malaysia with other key officials of the FCT Administration opened his eyes to so many difficulties confronting other modern capital cities, said urgent steps must be taken to address some of the challenges already bedevilling the FCT before they become entrenched.

He called for support of the UN Habitat in tackling the issue of squatter settlements along the airport road that are already spilling into the major gateway into the city with attendant negative implications.

The Minister said advocacy and outreach programmes should be channelled to these communities to enlighten them on the need to limit their activities within the stipulated boundaries, pending their eventual upgrade or relocation.

“As an administration, we don’t want to use highhanded tactics because they are old fashioned now. We need to contact them, we need to communicate with them and I believe this is where UN Habitat can be of help to us. On the service lanes, you see the villagers driving against traffic on high speed with motorcycles with no helmets.  

Earlier in his remark, the Habitat Programme Manager, UN Habitat, Mallam Kabir M. Yari said the delegation was in Abuja to see how they could collaborate with the FCT Administration, as well as assist them to move beyond words to practical actions. 

Yari while conveying his delight over the effective participation of the FCT Team at the recently concluded World Urban Forum in Malaysia, said the delegation was in Abuja to see how they could collaborate with the FCT Administration, to move resolutions reached at the Forum beyond words to practical actions. 

Both the Habitat Manager and FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello agreed that Abuja is in a better position to arrest urban sprawl and degradation because most of the challenges here have not been rooted like in other places, especially the cities of Latin America and some of the Asian cities.

Yari, while commending the Administration for sponsoring so many of its officials to participate in the activities of the UN Habitat, welcomed the idea of a technical committee that will establish how the two organizations could tackle the challenges of developing the FCT.  He noted that a lot of things are still redeemable if we try to do it well.

Cosmas Uzodinma 

Chief Press Secretary