FCTA Committed To Sustainable Social And Community Development

By: Salamatu Aminu & Sunday Shekwonya

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has expressed its commitment to sustain Social and Community Development Programmes across the six Area Councils in the Territory.

Accordingly, this is aimed at improving the overall well being of residents and reducing unemployment in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

The General Manager (GM) of the FCT Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), Engr. Obinna Okafor, gave this assurance during the validation and enrollment of 2,000 beneficiaries of the programme, at the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Area 10, Garki I District, Abuja.

Okafor said that the FCT Administration in collaboration with the World Bank is assiduously working to elevate millions of youth from abject poverty through empowerment and training the beneficiaries on the skill acquisitions and other related skills for self development.

The General Manager explained that the CSDP programme is targeted at improving the standard of living, as well as the socio-economic lives of the beneficiaries, which began since July, 2022 to relief the effect of COVID-19 on the people at various communities across the country.

Okafor revealed that, about two weeks ago, the CSDP of the Labour Intensive Public Workfare (LIPW) exited 1,170 beneficiaries that have received adequate training basically on skill acquisition, Environmental Management, Financial Management, Social Development and Entrepreneurial activities among others.

He noted that the selection of the beneficiaries is randomly, fairly and justly done via Social Data System across the six Area Councils with 2,000 beneficiaries and 300 driven from each Council.

The GM, who appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for their support, also pleaded with the duo to continue to sustain same support as new beneficiaries are unveiled for the programme, which will be benefiting for the period of two years.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Environmental and Safeguards Specialist, CSDP, Engr. Benjamin Philemon, remarked that, the programme is designed by the Federal Government to carry out developmental projects around and within the communities across all the 36 states and the FCT.

He said that the programme is designed basically to achieve among others the following: train beneficiaries on financial management such as skill acquisition; environmental management such as tree planting, activities to reduce the risk of road accident and educate the beneficiaries on Social Behavioural Change (SBC).

According to him, “the LIPW through the CSDP is set to develop our communities through various programmes, ranging from entrepreneurial building, environmental management, social development and reduction of risk of accidents around and within our communities.”