The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, said his administration plans to reintroduce monthly sanitation as part of strategies to keep the city of Abuja clean.
Wike revealed this to press men on Monday night following a closed-door meeting with contractors handling different projects in the FCT, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said he had already briefed President Bola Tinubu on the idea that at least two Saturdays in a month would be declared for sanitation from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
He explained that the move would enable companies supporting the FCT with logistics to go to markets, and other public places to evacuate refuse.
He said, “We must all make sacrifices. There is nothing like we are going to suffer. You also contribute to refuse.
“So, if you spare three hours on a Saturday at home, to clear the refuse and bring them out for us to evacuate and dispose, then that is the little way you can help. We are appealing to you (residents) to cooperate with us so we can achieve our goals.”
Speaking about the distortion of the Abuja Master Plan, Wike said the issue would soon be addressed, adding that the FCTA was working out what areas the parks and the green grasses were supposed to be.
He also noted that the government would look into those who refused to develop their plots of land for many years, adding that the President Tinubu-led administration would not continue to allow undeveloped land across the city where criminals were taking refuge.
“How can you have empty land in the city and allow people to build shanties on them because you did not develop them?
“Some properties were built for 20 years but not completed. Go and see what is happening there, Criminals have taken over the place and as a serious government, we will not allow that. We want to make Abuja a safe environment, but we can’t do it alone; we require the support of every stakeholder,” the minister said.
He added that attention would be given to satellite towns beginning with a visit to the areas to determine the needs and decide on what can be done to improve their facilities and infrastructure, noting that there was no funding to intervene in all the satellite towns at the same time but one at a time subject to the availability of funds.
He further noted that what was approved for FCT in the 2022 national budget was N15 billion for, “not less than a trillion naira worth of contracts,” stressing the need for the ministry to prioritise its spending.
“It is unfortunate that contracts were awarded in virtually all the satellite towns but where is the funding? The finding is not there”, Wike said.
