Yuletide: NGO Fetes 350 Needy With Food Items, Clothes
By: Wisdom Acka
Ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Helpline Foundation for the Needy Abuja, feted about 350 widows, persons with disabilities and others with food stuff and clothings, among other items.
The event which took place over the weekend in Abuja provided opportunity for clusters of women groups that were empowered by the NGO with skills acquisition, to showcase their products.
President of the Foundation, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, while presenting the gifts to beneficiaries, said that the 20th edition was packaged in collaboration with Mrs. Chinasa Ohaa, the President of Right Care Foundation and Mrs. Mariam Haruna, of Ladies of Grace.
Ahmadu disclosed that the beneficiaries were carefully selected from over 50 clusters of women groups, across the FCT, Nasarawa and Niger states.
She also disclosed that her group has evolved strategies to making the yearly celebration more impactful, by teaching the needy how to fish rather than giving them fish,” Ahmadu said.
“We decided this year to make a progress report of what we have been doing. The women we have, we brought them out to teach them some skills,” she added.
Her words: “We now said let’s see what they have done by way of inspecting and monitoring their progress,and see if the efforts we have put in place are yielding results, we are very happy with what we saw this morning. So this development is what will encourage them, and it will portray that women are just waiting to be given enabling environment to express themselves, they are widows and have lived above their situations.”
“This would enable them to earn money and to see their children through school, and also support other vulnerable widows in their midst, they have made that commitment and by this time next year we hope to see them inviting us for various launch of their products and that is what they are going to do.” She said.
On her part, President, Right Care Foundation, Mrs. Chinasa Ohaa, who was represented by Richards Omotayo, said helping to ameliorate the conditions of the less privileged people, was a patriotic national service.
In her goodwill message, Mrs. Mariam Haruna, of the Ladies of Grace, called on all stakeholders to join hands in empowering the downtrodden in the society.
Illegal Parks: FCTA Impounds 20 Vehicles
By: Wisdom Acka
19 cars and one motorcycle have been impounded by authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Head of Operations in the Directotate of Road Traffic Services, FCT VIO, Deborah Osho, who made this known on Monday during the exercise in Wise II, Abuja said that the illegal commercial activities was responsible for the traffic congestion on the the road.
Her words: “What you are seeing now is clearing the road corridor on the popular Banex road, Wuse II, that was taken over by illegal commercial taxis. The illegal commercial taxis took over over 50% of the road corridor picking and dropping passenger, meanwhile there is an approved park where they can pick and drop their passengers but they don’t use it, most of them prefer to use the road corridor therefore blocking the free flow of traffic on banex road.”
“This exercise is a continuous one. Once we enforce, we clear and then we pin down. And the pin down is continuous,” she added.
“This will curb the challenges of one chance in this area, will also address the issue of illegal commercial taxis, this will also clean the city and make Abuja safe especially during this yultide period”, she stressed.
On the impounded vehicles, she said “About 19 vehicles have been arrested this morning along Banex road and one commercial motor cycle. And this is a continuous exercise until the city is rid of illegal parks. “
She further explained that the exercise would curb the challenges of one chance, illegal motor parks, traffic congestion and getting rid of criminal elements, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, early on Monday morning, arrested 19 commercial vehicles and 1 commercial motorcycle at Banex road corridor.
Secretary, Command and Control, Dr. Peter Olumiji, while corroboating her, affirmed that the exercise would get rid of one chance manace in Abuja.
“This joint exercise that we commenced today has two faces, number 1 to clear illegal park of criminal elements that runs these one chance taxis, and to also clear the parks of sales and trafficking of illegal drugs, they use the opportunity of illegal parks to transact their businesses. One chance is done at illegal parks and they use unpainted vehicles”, he said.
The FCT Ministerial taskforce comprises of Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Immigration Service and Directorate of Road Traffic Services.
Director Condemns Invasion Of AMMC Office
By: Gabriel Obiahu & Kehinde Osigwe
The Director of Development Control Department, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC ), TPL. Muktar Galadima, has condemned invasion of AMMC Office in Wuse Zone 6 by illegal developers of Mechanic Workshop in Kagini kubwa.
The Director said that perpetrators will be properly investigated and prosecuted accordingly.
He described their action as organised thugery and total breach of peace, wondering why AMMC staff who were doing their legitimate duties in various offices should be rudely obstructed by illegal developers, who invaded the place in the name of protest.
Such barbaric act and illegality cannot be accepted, he added.
The Director hinted that the developers encroached into a plot belonging to an individual and started developing mechanic workshops. They turned the entire plot into a mechanic village claiming to be the allottees but have no tittle documents to defend their claims.
The directive to remove such illegal mechanic workshops buildings became necessary when the owner of the property consistently complained about the encroachment by the mechanic shop operators.
Sadly the illegal developers instead of seeking for alternative place to relocate their business decided to storm Development Control office, claiming that some staff of AMMC gave them the plot in question to do their business, he said.
The Director, who frowned at such development said that, there will be an internal investigation in Development Control Department and any staff found to have been involved in such illegality will be severely dealt with.
