FCTA ups steps to tackle youth restiveness

By Stanley Onyekwere

The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has revealed that the administration was taking steps to tackle youth restiveness that resulted to looting and destruction of government and private facilities in the Territory.
Aliyu said the FCT Administration through its Social Development Secretariat (SDS) had set-up data desks aimed at collating the data of the youth across all area councils, adding that the data collated would help to identify the needs of the youth with a view to engaging them.
The Minister, who made this revelation during a virtual stakeholders’ meeting, also called on critical stakeholders to embark on strategic sensitization of residents across the six area councils in the Territory.
She used the occasion to commend Kuje youth for their efforts in repelling the hoodlums, who attempted to disrupt the peace in their community, while calling on other youth from all area councils to be vigilant and continue to remain peaceful and law abiding.
According to her; “Because all area councils have peculiar demands, these Data Desks will be designed to serve individual area councils according to their needs and demands.
“However, whatever decision is going to be made by the administration, we will include inputs from all stakeholders as this will make us to serve residents better”.
On School feeding programme in FCT, Aliyu noted that her office have been working on training the indigenous women and youth of the FCT on how they could handle the school feeding programme so that they have more control over what and how their children are fed.
She, however, assured that measures have been put in place by the Social Development Secretariat to engage the youths and women in vocational training, just as she tasked all stakeholders to work towards identifying vocal youths and setting structures for leadership positions.
In their various contributions, stakeholders commended the FCT Minister of State for recognizing the role of critical stakeholders in governance, just as they pledged to assist the administration to achieve peaceful co-existence in the territory.
While calling on the FCT Administration to better equip the SDS to ensure that they carry out their mandate, stakeholders also advocated for a physical town hall meeting to discuss some burning issues since the country is gradually easing out of the Covid-19 lockdown.
On his part, Sen. Usman Jibrin Wowo, urged the SDS to set-up a platform that would allow the FCT Administration to constantly interact with the key leadership of the youth on the need to ensure peace and cohesiveness in their communities, adding that such platform would also help the youth understand the direction and polices of government.
Others who participated in the virtual meeting include:, Hon. Ishaku Tanko Yamawo, Hon. Bako Angulu, Hon. Musa Dikko, Hon. Danladi Zhin, Engr. Adamu Amako, among others.