By Daniel Tyokua
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has charged the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and other relevant agencies of the Administration to ensure that the Umaru Musa Yar’adua way (Airport road) is kept clean at all times.
He gave the charge at the weekend when he led a team of heads of relevant agencies to inspect and assess the level of sanitation on the road.
The minister said, “The visit with relevant agencies was to enable me see progress on the instruction that pedestrian bridges are not to be used as markets and trading points”.
At the end of the inspection, the Minister expressed satisfaction with the efforts made to rid the road corridor and the pedestrian bridges of environmental nuisances. “So far, I am pleased with progress made and support from the communities along the Umar Yaradua (Airport) Express Way” he said.
He then advised the relevant agencies to sustain their efforts and called for the cooperation of the local communities along the airport road.
Meanwhile, in line with the Minister’s directive, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board ( AEPB) has instructed its personnel handling the road corridor to redouble their efforts in cleaning all the drainages as well as vegetation control.
The AEPB assured that the cleaning of all the pedestrian bridges and interchanges as well as removal of waste in villages along the airport road would be sustained.
The Minister’s assessment tour took him through the entire length of the airport road where he physically inspected the pedestrian bridges.
On the Minister’s entourage were the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, Executive Secretary of the FCDA, Engr Umar Gambo Jibrin, the AEPB Director Dr Hassan Abubakar, Director Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Mrs Zaliha’u Ahmed Urban and officials of the FRSC, the Nigeria Police and NSCDC.
