The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has called on traditional rulers and regional council chairmen in the territory to help address insecurity in the country’s capital.
Wike made the call during a meeting with FCT area council chiefs and chairmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
The meeting was called to discuss the security challenges facing the territory and the government’s efforts to control them.
He stressed that traditional rulers and chairmen of councils have a crucial role to play in ensuring security in their domains by providing credible information to security agencies.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike appealed to traditional rulers and regional council chairmen.
“Traditional rulers have a role to play in ensuring their dominance. You know those around your domain. If there are faces that you believe are unfamiliar to you within that axis, it is within your power to report said faces or call your area council president so that a report can be made to law enforcement or my office for action. ”, he stated.
vigilant
Wike directed the six regional councils of the FCT to establish surveillance teams to support the efforts of security agencies.
He urged traditional rulers to ensure that only suitable people without criminal records were enlisted in the surveillance teams. The police and other security agencies have been directed to detail all their needs in the fight against insecurity.
“We have instructed all area councils to establish vigilance units and we believe that these vigilantes will not be the ones to perpetrate the crime. Therefore, you have to profile them to know who these people are. Do we know them? Are they from our communities, so we don’t go and say we want to solve problems while causing problems for ourselves?
“We must work hard because insecurity is not written on anyone’s face. No one knows who the next victim may be and that is why we must do everything possible so that we do not allow our subjects to continue being victims of these criminals,” she emphasized.
The FCTA will also provide motorcycles to all regional councils so that security agencies can access hard-to-reach places.
Mr Wike highlighted the need for synergy and cooperation among all stakeholders involved in the fight against insecurity in the FCT to ensure that they are on the same page.
He encouraged council chairmen and traditional rulers to bring to the attention of government what they believed needed to be done to address security challenges in the FCT.
The Minister also warned against the politicization of the fight against insecurity in the FCT, as well as the spread of misinformation on government activities, especially the demolition of shanties known to provide cover for criminals.
Only registered taxis will ply on Abuja roads.
Mr Wike stated that the FCT administration is putting structures in place to ensure that only taxis registered and painted in FCT colors can operate in the territory.
The FCTA will also provide bus terminals for various routes in the FCT, which will serve as an operational base for buses and taxis registered in the FCT.
“Very soon we will launch our buses, which will be painted in the color of Abuja. In that case, we will not allow taxis that are not painted the color of Abuja to operate here, so that “one chance” will no longer be there.”
“If we have three or four terminals, they will be designed in such a way that these vehicles go to certain areas. “If you are going to travel to such and such an area, go to that terminal and the ones that are going to operate there are taxis and buses that we have outlined, we know them,” he further said.
The Chairman of the FCT Traditional Council and Onah of Abaji, Adamu Yunusa, commended the efforts of the FCT administration in addressing security challenges in the FCT and pledged the support and cooperation of the traditional institution.
Yunusa thanked the minister for approving the construction and rehabilitation of roads in the six FCT Area Councils as well as the construction of selected palaces of traditional rulers.
However, he drew the minister’s attention to the issue of striking workers at the FCT regional councils, NULGE, as well as teachers at FCT primary schools.
“You are not new to Abuja and we trust that you will change the history of Abuja by the grace of God. Continue with what you are doing and we have your back,” he said.
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Mr Wike responded that the issues had been resolved and said he met with the NUT and the area councils, where they agreed that the FCTA would offset 40 per cent of the councils’ debts, which would be paid each month, while they (the town councils) would pay the remaining 60%.
“The same goes for NULGE. FCT has taken 40 per cent, let them pay 60 per cent. In the next three, four months we would have finished paying and everyone is happy,” he added.