By Philip Yatai

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has urged residents of the territory to take ownership of public infrastructure built in their communities.

Wike, who made the call after he inspected some ongoing projects in satellite towns, also urged the residents to protect the public infrastructure against vandals.

Some of the projects included the completed Market and Palace Road in Gwagwalada, completed 15-kilometre A2 to Pai and the ongoing 15.4-km Pai to Gumani in Kwali Area Council.

The minister also inspected the ongoing dualisation of Ushafa to Military Checkpoint and War College Roads in Bwari Area Council.

The minister said that the President Bola Tinubu-ped government has provided the infrastructure needed by the FCT residents, stressing the need for the residents to own it for sustainability.

He advised the residents against vandalism, stressing that the government had spent huge resources to provide facilities with a view to make life comfortable to residents.

“Take for example we have provided streetlights; the citizens can own them by securing the streetlights.

“Government cannot do everything. While we have security agencies, we can also be of help to the security agencies by providing useful information.

“It will be disturbing that I will come back here tomorrow, and you hear that one of the poles has been vandalised and the wires have been taken away.

“If we own these facilities in our community, it will not happen,” he said.

Wike stressed that the residents must protect public properties for them to enjoy it and for the government to do more for their communities.

He pointed out that it was the people that have been crying to the government to reconstruct the Ushafa and war college roads.

“Now that the government has done its own part to make their life meaningful, they should also help the government by making sure they protect what has been provided,” the minister said. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza