By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Captial Territory Administration ,FCTA, has directed that there should be no illegal ram markets within the nation’s Captial in the name of this year’s Eld-el- Kabir celebration by Muslims.
Chairman of the FCT Ministerial TaskForce on City Sanitation, Ikharo Attah, on Wednesday gave the directive during a sensitization campaign at the markets.
He said the minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, refused the proposal of the ram dealers to create such markets in the territory.
Attah explained that the minister hinged his believe on the need to avoid abuses of the city’s aesthetic make-up which gulps energy and resources to maintain.
He stated that the administration cannot allow the gains of the ongoing city aggressive sanitation to be swept away by such illegal markets, which going by hindsight has serious sanitation and environmental consequences.
The minister said FCTA has approved ram markets at Kugbo, Dei- Dei and all the Abattoirs within the city where both those selling and buying rams and other animals can interface for their trade.
He disclosed that the Minister was also considering the option of creating a temporary selling points at some outskirts, where ram dealers could use up to two days after the celebration, where the places will be dismantled and disinfected.
Attah observed that, ram dealers who defy the directive to sell at the illegal markets would have their rams confiscated and distributed to orphanages, prisons and other vulnerable persons.
He explained that a Mobile Court will sit to try violators and an order of permanent forfeiture would be sought over confiscated rams, while convicted violators will face the law.
“The Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello in his decision as the manager of the city, said we should not allow indiscriminate ram markets within the city during this Sallah period.
” He say there are approved selling points within the FCT, the Dei-Dei ram markets, Kugbo and some of the markets within the abattoirs. Also we have approached the minister on the need to have designated selling points, because the rams coming into the city during the celebration may overwhelm these approved markets.
“we will not be allowing every street to have ram markets, especially at the heart of the city. We have warned those involved in the illegal markets to desist, because any ram we found in the illegal markets will be confiscated and the Mobile Court will sit for us to apply for permanent forfeiture for the rams. The rams will be given to those in, orphanage homes and others”, he said.
