By Daniel Tyokua
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory, malam Muhammad Bello has sought for a new funding formula that will carter for more Infrastructure across the city.
He said the nation’s capital, Abuja was one of the fastest growing cities in the world with an annual population growth of between 7% and 9%, which needs robust funding to enable the Administration meet its infrastructural development objective.
Bello made the request on Wednesday, when members of the Indices and Disbursement Committee, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission ,RMAFC, paid a courtesy visit to the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
The Minister said, “everything is grossly overstretched and that’s why the FCT Administration, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, decided that we continue to emphasize on completing ongoing infrastructural projects in the road, rail and water sectors”
A statement by Anthony Ogunleye, Chief Press Secretary to the minister, said the minister told members of the RMAFC that with the number of infrastructural development projects currently going on in the FCT, funding remains a challenge.
“As the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, it is your national duty to create a special funding mechanism that is not against the constitution that makes sure that these works in progress are done because as you know, we are considered under section 299 of the Constitution as if we were a state”.
He disclosed that the FCT currently has an approximate population of 6 million people as against the 2.5 million envisaged by the masterplan at its present stage of development.
In his remarks, Dr Chris Akomas who led other members, informed the FCT Minister that his team was in the FCTA on an advocacy and sensitization visit to seek the cooperation of the FCT Administration to enable it discharge its duties, one of which is the collation of accurate and reliable data.
Akomas said members of the Commission had visited all the states of the Federation including the Ministries of Education, and Water Resources as well as the National Boundaries Commission, National Population Commission and other government agencies.
“We are visiting all these places because we are talking of data and we are looking forward to data integrity”
FCT ANCOPS gets new leaders, pledges sustained training
By Daniel Tyokua The FCT branch of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary School (ANCOPS) has inaugurated the new leaders that would be running affairs of the body for a period of four years.
The executives which were drawn from both Junior and Secondary Schools across the territory, promised a robust system that will add more value to the schools.
Fielding questions from Journalists after his swearing-in as the new FCT ANCOPS president, Alhaji Adam Bello Gupa, said his leadership would consolidate on the gains of the previous leaders.
He explained that a new template will be developed to capture all the programmes needed to move the schools forward.
Gupa said all members of ANCOPS will be trained both within and abroad to meet up with the educational current realities.
“We will continue with the good work, where our predecessors have stopped to ensure that basic education is achieved”
He said the principals will stop at nothing to ensure that members put in their best.
“Capacity building for teachers, the training will be within the country and abroad”.
In his farewell message, the outgoing ANCOPS prasident, Abdulkarim Abdulrahaman said his leadership recorded achievements that would stand the test of time.
He called on them to work in unity, and project education activities.
The new president currently is the Principal Government Secondary School, Kuje
