DOAS DIRECTOR, AMANABO, RETIRES AFTER 35 YEARS OF MERITORIOUS PUBLIC SERVICE
By: Ngozi Ufomba
Ambassador Dr. Fatima Helen Amanabo, the outgoing Overseeing Director of the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), has been celebrated as she retires from the FCTA after 35 years of dedicated and meritorious service.
Amanabo was honoured at two separate events held to mark her retirement: an internal ceremony organised by the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage at its office premises and a valedictory ceremony hosted by the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) at A.3Js Hotel, Utako, Abuja.
Born on August 29, 1966, in Ofakaga, Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amanabo began her education at Army Barracks Primary School, Afara Umuahia, Abia State, and Army Barracks Primary School, Akwunanua, 82 Division, Enugu. She later attended Government Girls Secondary School, Ochaja, popularly known as Ochaja Girls, in Kogi State.
She holds an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Business Administration from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida; a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Banking and Finance from the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa; and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Calabar.
Amanabo joined the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in 1991 as a Personal Assistant. She was also among the pioneer staff of the Establishment and Training Department when the FCT Administration was fully constituted.
During her 35-year career, she served in several strategic departments, including Engineering Services and Administration and Supply at the FCDA, Establishment and Training at the FCTA, and the Office of the Honourable Minister of the FCT.
Her commitment to public service also saw her serve on several critical committees, including the Committee on Right of Seizing, Petition on Right of Seizing, Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, and as a Ministerial SERVICOM Officer.
A professional administrator, Amanabo is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Management and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership Manpower and Management Development (ILMMD) and the Institute of Professional Managers and Administrators of Nigeria (IPMAN). She has also been recognised as a Peace Ambassador of Nigeria.
Throughout her career, she attended several professional development programmes covering areas such as time and stress management, effective team building, treasury management and fraud prevention, project monitoring and evaluation for corruption prevention, strategic human resources management, and contemporary leadership and management.
Beyond her official responsibilities, Amanabo contributed to community and social development through organisations including Ladies of Grace, Abuja; Noble Ladies of Nigeria, Abuja; and the Kogi State Forum for Justice.
Until her retirement, Amanabo served as the Overseeing Director of DOAS, where she was credited with contributing to efforts to sanitise the FCT’s outdoor advertising environment, improve compliance with regulations, and promote professionalism in the signage and outdoor advertising sector.
At the internal retirement ceremony, management and staff of the department, as well as individuals whose lives she had touched during her years of service, gathered to celebrate her contributions and wish her well.
The Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), led by its National President, Dr. Shola Akinsiku, also honoured Amanabo with a special valedictory ceremony.
Akinsiku described her as a reformer and solution-driven leader who contributed significantly to bringing greater order and dignity to the outdoor advertising industry in the nation’s capital.
In her remarks, Amanabo expressed gratitude to God and the leadership of the FCTA for giving her the opportunity to serve. She urged public servants to uphold transparency, diligence and effective service delivery in the discharge of their responsibilities.
She also thanked OAAN for organising what she described as a befitting retirement ceremony in her honour and appealed to outdoor advertising practitioners in the FCT to comply with established regulations to avoid sanctions and penalties.
Her colleagues described her as a mentor, administrator and peace builder whose dedication to duty and commitment to public service would remain a reference point within the FCTA.
As part of the transition process, Amanabo formally handed over leadership of DOAS to Dr. Azaki Sunday Kachiwoyi, the Deputy Director and Head of Accounts in the department.
