By Daniel Tyokua
With palpable fear of attacks and other criminal activities, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has directed Point of Sales (PoS) operators to restrict their operations to only commercial areas.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, the coordinator Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) Umar Shuaibu, said the administration would not allowed PoS operators to illegally take over sensitive areas that are not designated for commercial purposes.
He said the indiscriminate activities of the operators was becoming threat to security, and would no longer be tolerated.
Shuaibu explained that Abuja Master plan is systemically structured to have the neighbourhood concept that will bring all services closer to the people.
He said:”We have neighborhood centres and city centres, all of these centres have commercial areas, so whatever someone needs within the neighbourhood provided is within the neighbourhood centres is available, no need to take over the street, that is how the master plan was designed.
“Financial services are brought closer to the people because of the CBN cashless policy that is why we have PoS operators, let there be sanity.
“However, there are challenges, the point of sales operators do not operate in the areas that they are supposed to operate, according to the provision of the master plan.
“We have commercial centres, plazas, markets, super markets and filling stations, these are areas for commercial activities, so the PoS operators have to liaise with owners of these property for their services, this is in line with international best practices.
“Henceforth, all PoS operators must relocate to commercial areas and liaise with the premises’ owners, where their services are needed.This will help check mate insecurity.
“The minister of FCT has given us the directives to ensure that all illegal PoS operators should relocate to appropriate areas”
Collaborating, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the Minister of FCT, Mr. Ikharo Attah, said the administration was fully in support of the POS activities and the CBN cashless policy but was concerned with the security measures.
End.
