By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has raised separate panels to resuscitate the abandoned Utako District Hospital as well map out strategies to give new vigour to the moribund Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTCO).
The high powered committees were constituted during the FCT Executive Committee meeting that was chaired by the minister of FCT malam Muhammad Bello, recently in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, by the Director, Information and Communication, Muhammad Sule, said the panel for Utako hospital is to ascertain the issues surrounding the abandoned project.
Bello restated the commitment of his Administration in ensuring that the Hospital project is revived and completed to further improve health service delivery in the Territory.
The Minister noted that Abuja is growing geometrically in its population and therefore, requires diligent planning for the provision of healthcare facilities to cater for the fast-changing demographic growth.
The Utako District Hospital is conceived as 220-Bed hospital to provide qualitative healthcare services to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory especially those residents within the area.
The committee, which has 14 days to summit a comprehensive report to the EXCO, is chaired by the FCT General Counsel / Secretary, Legal Services Secretariat, Muhammad Umar. Other members of the Committee are Secretary, Health & Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Abubakar Tafida; Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shauib; and the Director, Public Building (FCDA), Architect Adebowale Ademo; while the Legal services Secretariat will provide the Secretariat for the Committee.
On the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTCO), the EXCO directed that the Transport company should be resuscitated to meet the goals of providing effective and efficient Mass transportation services to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory in line with the target it was set up to achieve.
The Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, challenged the technical team drawn from the Transportation Secretariat, Legal Services Secretariat, Department of Treasury, Abuja Investment Company Limited, and Abuja Infrastructure Investment Centre to ensure that, AUMTCO is revived to deliver World Class, affordable and reliable bus mass transit system for the Federal Capital Territory.
Bello said the FCT Administration must work effectively to enforce the already banned commercial motorcycle (Okada) operations in the Federal Capital City, Abuja.
EXCO further approved the strengthening of the Joint Task Force comprising the security Agencies and stakeholder Departments of the FCTA to support the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS).