Group threatens to picket FCT minister’s office over poor administration of FCTA, others

The Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices Initiative (CAACASVI) has threatened to picket the Office of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration at the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum earlier issued.

According to the group, for the past six months, the office of the Director of Treasury of FCTA has been vacant for no justifiable reasons.

Executive Director of CAACASVI, Comrade Olumiyiwa Onlede, after a meeting with coalition of CSO’s on Monday in Abuja, said mobilisation of like minds sister organisations has commenced to ensure a successful picketing of the minister’s office until the right thing was done.

The group, last week, petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, over what it called series of maladministration in the FCT, by the minister.

The petition was copied to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, and the FCT minister among others said that FCT Minister was displaying maladministration, incompetence and loss of control in the FCTA, resulting in abysmal performance and loss of revenue in the territory.

“This is gross violation of principle of corporate good governance in FCTA as the Permanent Secretary is simultaneously performing the function of Director of Treasury, thereby making approvals and payments at the same time which means the Permanent Secretary approbate and reprobate at the same time,” Onlede said.

He added that the Executive Secretary in the FCTA, reports directly to the minister without any input from the Permanent Secretary but that these laid down reporting line has since changed at the instance of the minister, Musa Bello.

He said: “Now FCDA files goes to the Permanent Secretary from the Honourable Minister, this is totally wrong. The most serious among this issue of maladministration is the office of the Director of treasury of FCTA that has been vacant for the past six months for no justifiable reasons.”

He also cited several cases when development control that is in charge of demolition of illegal structures go ahead to demolish structures though there are substantive court orders, not vacated, restraining development control from carrying out such demolitions.

He said that the Minister always look the other way when served with court orders and that this has resulted to cost being awarded against FCDA by the court in a way that the account of FCDA is garnished to serve as a deterrent and this adversely affects the running of FCDA in terms of fund.

“Since the beginning of this administration in 2015 there has been no substantive Executive Secretary to pilot the affairs of the five secretariats of FCTA, the management of the departments have being in acting capacity since then and that has affected the policy implementation of FCTA due to the fact that those in acting capacity are not permitted by law to take some critical decisions or act on them.

“Same goes to most of the parastatals under FCDA, they are also performing below expectation due to the fact that they lack power and even the confidence to carry out major and important decision which ordinarily would have benefited the agencies.

“Due to rigorous and unnecessary bureaucracy imposed on the system by the minister, court orders are not acted upon quickly and in some cases ignored by his office and this often lead to judgement against FCTA and its parastatals,” he said.

On land allocation, the CAACASVI boss said that lately places that were believed to be green areas or close to water channels are being allocated to property developers for estates, the consequences of these in future may get out of control just as being seen in big cities that failed to follow the master plan.

They, therefore, issued a 14-day ultimatum to the minister to act on these concerns, especially those relating to appointment of a Director of Treasury and obeying court orders.

The media aide to the minister, Sani Abubakar, ended our reporter’s call immediately the reporter mentioned the petition to president Buhari.

He didn’t pick subsequent calls. Instead, he asked the reporter to send a text message.

The media aide is yet to reply to the text message as of the time of filing this report.

Court orders Okowa government to account for over N200bn education funds, allocations

Court orders Okowa government to account for over N200bn education funds, allocations The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, in a landmark judgment, has “ordered the disclosure of the spending details of over N200bn public funds collected by the government of former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa from the Universal Basic Education Commission [UBEC] fund and allocations from the Federation Accounts.” The court ordered the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to “disclose details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by the Okowa government between 2015 and 2019, including specific projects carried out to improve primary education in Delta State, and the locations of such projects.” The judgment was delivered by Honourable Justice Daniel Osiagor, following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/803/2019, brought by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). In his judgment, Justice Osiagor held that, “SERAP has cognizable legal right to inquire and

Olu Of Warri Defends Tradition, Speaks on Christianity

Olu Of Warri Defends Tradition, Speaks on Christianity The Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ògíamẹ̀ Atúwàtse III, has dispelled the insinuation that there is a conflict between the traditional thrones and Christendom. The monarch, who stated this when he received the Soun of Ogbomoso land, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, Orumogege III, in his Palace in Warri Kingdom, Delta State, said that the two institutions were not necessarily antithetical. He also debunked the assumption that traditional institutions were synonymous with fetishism and the worship of creations made by human beings and reasoning. He, however, noted that the two institutions can play complementary role that will contribute to the growth and development of the country. The Olu, who said he was elated by the Soun’s visit, said the new Ogbomoso monarch’s choice of Warri kingdom as his first place of visit was divinely directed, just as his choice for the throne was divinely ordained. He said that they owe i

Many Benefited as Tantita Save Niger Delta From Enviromental Ruins

Many Benefited as Tantita Save Niger Delta From Enviromental Ruins It is on record over the past twenty years in the Niger Delta region, South-South Nigeria where incessant fire disaster and untimely death was on the increase in weekly basis as result of the activities of illegal oil bunkering, especially the process of local refining popularly known as Kpo-Fire. The menace also renders our young married ladies widows in the ljaw riverine communities because most of their life partners venture into the Kpo-Fire business due to its lucrative nature in making quick money. To proof your doubt, take a tour to any of the ljaw riverine communities across Burutu, Warri South-West, Bomadi, Patani in Delta State, and Southern ljaw, Ekeremor, Nembe and Brass LGAs in Bayelsa State, you will discovered that most of our youths are facially disfigured in parts of their body as result of severe fire accident incurred during cooking and burning (refining) of crude oil to kerosene, fuel and desiel for

FocalPoint Reports

Search This Blog