By Ahmed Ubandoma

The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) says it is partnering with relevant agriculture agencies, health sector and traditional leaders to provide conducive work environment for aged mothers.

Dr. Emem Omokaro, the Director-General, NSCC stated this in Bwari on Monday, during a town hall meeting on the implementation of its programme tagged: “Grandmothers Arise for Good” initiative, an Economic Tree-Crops Planting Project in Bwari, FCT.

Omokaro said the centre was determined to support senior citizens, especially aged mothers to boost their agricultural business and ensure decent living.

“ We took time to develop a wide sector intervention for communities; we call them grandmothers arise for good. Principally, the focus is for all the women who we know are assets in their communities.

“ Most of them who are farmers and engaged in crafts have been doing their businesses individually, not really making a headway in terms of breaking even but at least, mitigating multidimensional competition.

“So, we call in the royal fathers to work with the community to end open defecation through the primary healthcare to institute a national health insurance and access to health,” she said.

The NSCC boss said that the essence of the partnership was to converse with the senior citizens in the community, support them and organise their farming to attract more fund for them.

“And we bring in all the agencies to fulfill our mandate which is to improve the quality of life ” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the meeting include representative from the Federal Capital Territory Primary Healthcare Board, Water Aid, FCT Head of Agricultural Services and Sanitation; and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng).

Edited by Chinyere Bassey/Grace Yussuf

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has called on companies in the territory to compliment government’s efforts in providing and sustaining quality infrastructure in the nation’s capital.

Bello said this at the opening of the Julius Beger Abuja Furniture Production (AFP) shown room, held in Maitama, Abuja.

Represented by the Director, FCT Public Building, Mr Adebowale Ademo, the minister said the FCT Administration was concerned with quality work in and around the city.

He added that the administration would always work with competent firms that could add value to the government efforts.

The minister, who commended the company, said that FCT administration would always go for the best to make the aesthetic of Abuja a world class.

“AFP has been a major partner in the development of the city, it is well known for producing high quality furniture over the years. So, we want it to compliment government’s efforts.”

Bello described the take off of the company as very impressive considering the quality of product that the firm produced.

“This is what the administration has been looking for, a situation whereby people can come in with a lot of commitment to the city and also provide the necessary services that will compliment the efforts of government by ensuring that Abuja becomes one of the 20th habitable city in the world.

“The government has made a lot of efforts to ensure that the esthestic of the city is respected, when we have outfits that contribute to the development of the city, respecting the laws and also requirements of the master plan, it is also help.

Earlier, the General Manager, AFP, Oliver Cohnen, said that the company which was an arm of Julius Berger plc had been producing furniture for over 30 years.

According to him, the service of the company covers all categories of people and we keep to standards. (NAN)

Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa

By Yahaya Isah

The FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) on Thursday in Abuja unveiled Self-Service Vehicle Registration Portal for a seamless registration of vehicles in the territory.

The Director of DRTS, Dr Abdul-Lateef Bello, said it was no doubt that long before now, motor vehicle registration in the territory had been faced with various challenges.

These challenges, he said, had been largely due to manual procedures and characterised by the unwholesome activities of touts as well as unnecessary administrative procedural traffics.

“The myriads of these challenges with all the attendant systemic distractions on the general output of staff and the image of the DRTS can best be imagined.

“So, having done a comprehensive overview of the prevailing system on assumption of duty, as the Director, in March 2022, it became expedient to review and introduce basic innovations to reposition the directorate for quality service delivery.

This is “particularly with respect to motor vehicle administration in the territory,“ Bello said.

The director said that it was important to note at this particular point that the introduction of technology-based solution, which had proven to be a better solution to all human endeavours, was the only way out.

Bello said based on the prevailing circumstances, the service, however, deemed it necessary to introduce real-time online based internet registration portal for the residents of FCT.

This, he said, also conformed with international best practice which tended to eliminate completely the inadequacies of the prevailing circumstances in the motor vehicle registration in the territory.

“We make bold to assert that the introduction of the self-service vehicle registration portal in the FCT will be a game changer for motor vehicle registration with all the multiplier advantages.“

He said that the system would allow a client to register his or her vehicle from the comfort of their homes in real-time.

The director said it would also go a long way in reducing multiple registration of vehicles and further strengthen the integrity of the data base.

“The system will further reduce unwholesome activities, touting and other human errors to the barest minimum. It will also go a long way in reducing time as well as saving the energy involved.

“The system will no doubt stimulate revenue generation as well as leakages in the system,“ he added.

The director promised that as an agency saddled with the responsibilities of motor vehicle administration in the territory, it was poised to bring to bear every innovation needed to make FCT a trail blazer in vehicle registration.

Earlier, the Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, while unveiling the portal, commended the service for leveraging on such a wonderful technology in making the process of vehicle registration very seamless and less stressful.

“This is a very wonderful thing to happen to the residents of FCT. The residents can now access the system, register their vehicles anywhere and at anytime via their electronic devices.

Bello urged the service to come up with more innovations that would make life much better for the residents of the territory, especially in area of adherence to traffic rules and regulations.

The minister was represented by the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Salisu Sani-Idris

The Apo Hills Landlords Residents Association has appealed to the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, to shelved the planned demolition of illegal estate in Apo-Tapi and Lugbe.

The association’s Secretary-General, Mr Miracle Uduma, made the appealed while briefing newsmen during a peaceful protest by members of the association at the Crownprince Estate office in Asokoro, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FCT Administration, on March 10, lamented the proliferation of illegal housing estates and other developments along Idu Train Station, Apo Tapi and Lugbe areas of AMAC.

Uduma said that the landlords of the Apo hills who had been in the area for over six years were deceived by the developers that they have obtained original land title documents from the relevant agencies of the FCT Administration.

” We are here to appeal to the Federal Capital Territory Administration to come to our aid because we have been lied to and all of our investment are about to go down.

” This is a call for help because we have been lied to and right now our lives are in danger. Untill March 10, we do not know the truth about what was going on in our homes.

” We are totally uninformed about the dealings of most of this people who claimed to be developers who turnout to be land grabbers and it is a very big issue.

” We got to know about the situation when the Director of the Department of Development Control, FCTA, Mukhtar Galadima came on National Television and said that they were going to demolish illegal houses in Apo, which is where we reside.

” Until that interview by Galadima, we never knew or heard any idea that those land had no title.

”All the developers, all the Estate Owners have been playing us all along, they gave us falsified documents, claiming that they have land title in this place and encouraged us to built,” he said.

The secretary, who said most of the residents of the area were retirees, expressed readiness of the residents to pay contravention fees to the FCT to enable them retain their houses instead of being demolished.

Also, Mrs Lami Ayuba, the Chairman, FCT Chapter of National Institute of Town Planners, advised those who wanted to acquire property in the FCT and anywhere in the country to ask for the Allocation Letter, Land Use Approval, Building Plan Approval and Site Plan.

Ayuba also urged those who needed to acquire property to always get at least two professionals to verify the property before the transaction was concluded.

She revealed that there were lots of desperate syndicates in the city posing as government officials, defrauding the people.

” They can even enter government offices and pretend that they are officials because they have arranged with developers to pose as staff of FCTA and clear their papers.

” So, we are not even sure that the offices they enter are the legitimate offices, or the staff that attend to them are actually the legitimate officers.

” There is a process for approval; there is a process for land verification that you are supposed to go through but the problem is that most of the landlords at the point of buying these property don’t contact professionals to do due diligence,” she said.

She called on the FCTA to do something urgently to address the growing incidences of land grabbers by harnessing the energies of developers and channel them into positive use.

NAN reports that the Director, Department of Development Control, FCTA, Mukhtar Galadima, earlier raised alarm over the spike in adverts on social media by land grabbers and illegal developers of housing estates, at a news conference.

Galadima said that the department had served demolition notices to all illegal developers along the Idu Train Station, Apo Tapi and Lugbe Areas, where ”people are busy spending money”.

He said that the affected areas had not yet been detailed with designed layout, decrying ”but people are carrying fake title documents that they were allocated by AMAC.

” Our attention has been drawn to some areas of the city where people are developing without any title developments.

”And we want to educate the public and to inform them that some of these adverts are on illegal developments. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Grace Yussuf

By Ruth Oketunde

Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Mustapha Ahmed, has expressed concern over incessant fire incidents in some communities and markets across the country in the past few days.

Ahmed, who expressed the concern in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, called on all stakeholders to leverage insurance companies to safeguard their property and businesses.

He stressed the need for Nigerians to reduce fire disasters and all associated human and material losses across the country.

“Fire, like any other disaster, has been part of human existence, but the frequency and impacts of this in recent weeks has necessitated a serious concern and call for action by all stakeholders.

“In December last year, I had the cause to alert the public to the dangers of fire disasters during the dry season.

“As with the onset of the dry season, the present onset of the rainy season is also characterised by typical windstorms that easily propagate combustible matter in form of dry vegetation and agricultural wastes,’’ he said.

All these ingredients, according to him, constitute strong enhancers of fire outbreaks.

“The best firefighting technique is prevention. The best way to prevent a fire is to create awareness and develop a culture of safety and resilience among authorities, communities and individual members of the public,” he said.

Ahmed called on State and Local Emergency Management Committees as well as the media to help generate and disseminate the right awareness and prepare the public for necessary responses to fire disasters.

“Efforts should aim at measures and procedures for averting fire outbreaks, early detection and timely response to save lives and minimise damage and economic losses.

“All hands must be on deck to reduce fire disasters and all associated human and material loses across Nigeria.

“Government agencies, corporate organisations, private businesses and individuals should endeavour to leverage insurance companies to safeguard and protect their property and businesses as a form of risk transfer in case of fire,’’ he said.

The director-general said that the main goal of NEMA and its partners was to save lives and property, stressing that no effort and resources was too much to commit to achieving this.

He said that all NEMA zonal and operation offices had been directed to work with the State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) to conduct joint assessments in communities affected by fire disasters. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kabir Muhammad and ‘Wale Sadeeq

By Aisha Cole

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) announced in Lagos on Tuesday that rail services would be suspended from Saturday, Feb. 25 to Monday, Feb. 27.

NRC’s spokesman, Mr Mahmood Yakubu, stated that the suspension was to enable Nigerians to exercise their franchise at the presidential and National Assembly elections of Feb. 25.

Train services to be put on hold are Abuja-Kaduna, Warri- Itakpe, Lagos-Ibadan, and Iddo, Lagos-Ijoko interstate mass transit service.

Yakubu stated that normal train services would resume from Tuesday, Feb. 28. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Alli Hakeem

By Bridget Ikyado

Rev Yakubu Pam, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), has said that the Naira Redesign/Cashless Policy of the Federal Government was targeted at tackling corruption and insecurity in the country.

Pam told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that the policy was neither aimed at individuals or to cause hardship for Nigerians.

Pam said that all Nigerians should rally round President Muhammadu Buhari as he stands his grounds to deliver a Nigeria free from insecurity and corruption as promised during his campaigns.

“This is the moment we need to rally round the President; we need to encourage him. Everybody has witnessed in the past few weeks how he has stood his ground on the new naira note to tackle corruption, especially among the elite. We should encourage him.

“Knowing that we are passing through a transition period where power will move from one government to another, the current administration must have witnessed a lot and want to deliver solutions to so many challenges, especially insecurity and corruption, that have been bedeviling the country,’’ he said.

The executive secretary called on Nigerians to be patient with the challenges accompanying the policy, saying that the CBN was doing everything possible to cushion the pains.

According to him, there is no new policy that will not come with its challenges.

“The challenges are to be expected. We must endure some of these challenges so as to prepare for a better future.”

Pam charged religious and traditional leaders to engage citizens in their jurisdiction on the gains of the policy to prevent them from being misled by mischief makers. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

By Bridget Ikyado

The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) says its policies on enhancing Nigeria’s image and pilgrimage has earned the country visas on arrival to Jordan.

Pam made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the state of the nation on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, the NCPC has made sure it built a good relationship not only with stakeholders within the country but with the host countries outside Nigeria.

“At this moment, we have good relationship with Jordan; we have visas on arrival, it is only Nigerians who go there get visas on arrival now.

“It took this commission a very good policy to build bilateral relationship with our host countries outside; we can beat our chest today that we opened the road for Nigerians to have visas on arrival to Jordan,” he said.

Another policy Pam said the commission initiated to enhance the pilgrims exercise was building integrity for acceptability by partners involved.

“We are glad that immediately I came into office, first and foremost, we tried to build on an integrity for acceptability for our partners and our host countries, who we all know are Israel and Jordan and others.

“Making sure that we have fished out people running away, staying in those lands illegally, which is called abscondment.

“And that is one policy we made sure we built to ensure people do not use the opportunity for pilgrimage to mar the image of Nigeria.

“And that is really working; that is why our host countries are inviting us to come for more pilgrim exercises knowing that we have built a very good image for the country,” he added. (NAN) (www.nananews.ng)

Edited by Grace Yussuf