Ben Peters, Abuja
When the former governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike was announced as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, there was jubilation in Abuja, including the neighbouring states (Nasarawa and Niger), where many who are working in the territory reside.
Meanwhile, while Wike is strategising and planning to correct the masterplan of Abuja, he should also concentrate on the following areas:
- Elimination of touts
In a decent city like Abuja. It is uncalled for to see touts roaming around. The minister should as a matter of urgency look for another abode for them otherwise, they will continue to pose as nuisance and might scare away investors into the territory. - Indiscriminate parking
One of the major challenges of Abuja is the indiscriminate parking especially by commercial taxi and bus drivers. This is common when they are struggling to pick passengers, they block every other road users believing that they are struggling passengers with them hence causing obstructions on the road.
- CCTV The provision of Circuit Camera Television, CCTV is urgently needed in the territory. Good enough, Mr. Wike was a resident of Abuja when he was Minister of State for Education before he emerged as governor of Rivers State and knows the important of such gadgets.
The crime rate in Abuja can be tackled with the installation of CCTV. Abuja used to be very safe but that cannot be said today because of the influx of criminals. The most common crime before now was one-chance robbery and kidnapping, today, all sorts of crimes have taken over especially in quiet and dark areas.
- VIO
It has been discovered that the Directorate of Road Transport Service, DRTS otherwise known as Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) are frustrating people in the territory. They invade the roads and streets in the name of checking particulars and the conditions of vehicles hence stopping every vehicle, thereby inconveniencing the owners when they can actually adopt electronic means as it was done in the past.
Many people have missed their appointments because of VIO. If the minister must retain them on the roads, they should just adopt different approach and the annoying aspect is that most commercial vehicle owners don’t renew their particulars while many of them don’t even have driver’s license and yet the VIO men don’t go after them.
- Blocked drainages
Whenever it rains, Abuja roads are flooded because of block drainages. The past minister failed to look into this problem but was busy demolishing. When it rains, one will mistaken the territory for riverine area.
The Minister should as a matter of urgency quickly swing into action by ensuring that blocked drainages are emptied especially as it has been predicted that there will be flood across the country.
- Construction and opening of Roads
There are many roads that are calling for attention in Abuja while the urgent one is the opening of Karshi road leading to Apo Village.
Both ends from Karshi and Apo have already been completed just needed to level the hill that is blocking the joining of the road. This will be a great achievement if Mr. Wike can do this for FCT residents. Once that road is completed, traffic gridlocks will come to an end on Nyanya-Keffi road. People residing in Jikwoyi, Karshi axis will no longer have to pass through Nyanya but take the Karshi road hence decongesting the road. Even those coming from Mararaba, Karu, and going to Apo might just use the road too.
- Street lights
Good enough, the minister went round the town before his swearing-in and saw things by himself. The street lights are all dead and criminals are taking advantage of that to rob innocent people at night.
- Traffic Lights
Another major challenge in the territory is the disobedience of traffic lights. Many accidents occur because some motorists are disobeying traffic lights. The Minister can deploy men of the VIO, NSCDC and Police to arrest those law-breakers if there are no electronic means of arresting defaulters. And FCT Administration can generate revenue through this by ensuring they pay fines.
- Transport Services
The Minister should look into the issue of transportation system with urgency. This sector has suffered so much hence the infiltration of all manners of motorists. Many have capitalized on these lapses and commit all kinds of crimes especially one-chance robbery and kidnapping.
- Bus stops
It is worrisome to note that a city like Abuja does not have bus-stops and it is one of the reasons why motorists park indiscriminately on the road. There is need for provision of bus-stops so that passengers can have places to stay to wait for vehicles or alight.
- Rail system
It is good to hear that the minister has given the Chinese company eight months to complete the rail system. Having a working rail system will help those working in Abuja and staying in the Satellite Towns or neighbouring towns of Nasarawa and Niger States.
- Satellite Towns
One of the reasons why the Federal Capital Territory was moved from Lagos to Abuja is because of congestion. And in order not to have a repeat of that, provisions were made for people to stay in the Satellite Towns but investigations have shown that people are not comfortable with lives in such areas hence the need for minister to intervene. The Satellite Towns Development Agency, STDA is not doing enough, their existence is not felt anywhere. If the necessary amenities are in place, people will not mind staying in Satellite Towns.
- Security
Security is very paramount in every society and Abuja cannot be an exception. The Minister should adopt a different approach by setting the pace for others to follow. People are being robbed almost on daily basis, even in broad daylight while many vehicles have been stolen or vandalised also in the day even close to security points. The FCTA should also try and engage the youths in the territory who are jobless or better still train them and deploy them to the farm or other areas, so that they can disease from crime instead of just looking the other way.
The city should be safe for everyone. Police and other security personnel should be up and doing and be prompt to emergencies. Good enough they are stationed at every point.
- Revenue Boys
There are new sets of boys in the territory called AMAC, they are after motorists using vehicles for conveying goods for commercial purposes. Also worrisome is that they harass everybody including those carrying their personal effects especially people using Sienna vehicles.
They bear all sorts of weapons including heavy sticks, they use to smash vehicles’ windscreens, side mirrors or lights of anyone that refuse to stop for them. There are better ways of doing things, if these boys are not called to order, they might scare away some people from the territory who might be visiting for the first time. We are not in a jungle where people should be behaving anyhow in the name of revenue collection.
- Sporting facilities
Lastly, the area of Sports is a very important aspect that needs urgent attention. The minister is known as a sport loving and he should prove it in Abuja. Presently, the state of facilities in the territory is worrisome. A situation whereby only two pitches are functional in the city centre and they are in a sorry state, no good toilet facilities, etc.
There is no NPFL participation in Abuja even the one playing in the lower league are struggling. The sporting facilities in FCT are in a comatose, they do not only need maintenance, they are begging for new infrastructure. The involvement of private sector will be needed in this sector.
The above are some of the areas that need urgent attentions, that the minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike needs to concentrate on.