By Stanley Onyekwere
To sustain ongoing efforts at tackling rising insecurity, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has stressed the need for the Chairmen of the six Area Councils in the territory to strengthen the local vigilance teams in their areas by ensuring that their needs are adequately met.
Speaking at a security town hall meeting with stakeholders and residents of Kwali Area Council on Tuesday in Kwali town, Abuja, Wike said his administration has almost concluded procurement processes for more security vehicles.
Wike, who assured to ensure a swift deployment of the vehicles, also requested by the councils to provide more motorcycles to the vigilance teams.
According to him: “I have listened to what the chairman has said. The chairman has virtually requested for everything but he has not told me what he has done.
“For me, whatever that is going to bring development or improve security, government has no hesitation. The president has directed me to let you know he feels your pains and that is why he has said I must go and see all the councils, talk to them and tackle insecurity headlong.
“I can assure you that in a matter of days you will be hearing positive stories. We are ready to support our security agencies whatever they need to ensure that our people can sleep with their two eyes closed.
“We have almost concluded procurement of vehicles for security agencies. We are going to provide the councils with motorcycles to support the vigilance teams so that they can get information and assist the security agencies.
“Our youth, we have directed the council chairmen to ensure that the vigilance teams are well taken care of.
“We need information from you because without information, the security agencies would have little or nothing to do. If you give them information on time, they will make sure that bad things don’t happen.”
Commenting on the issue of some bad roads fueling kidnapping, the Minister, asked the council chairman to recommend two more roads in addition to the earlier ones recommended to the FCT Administration for reconstruction.
While reiterated that President Bola Tinubu administration would not abandon the people of FCT, the Minister said every year before submitting any budget proposal to the National Assembly, he would meet with traditional rulers and the people to get their inputs by way of getting them to recommend people-oriented projects that can be incorporated into the budget.
He said: “We will not abandon you. We will make sure we develop the Area Councils. Before the end of the tenure of President Tinubu, you will see a lot of infrastructure going on in the Area Councils.
“Every year before we submit our budget to the NASS, we will come to you the traditional rulers and the people to ask you what your infrastructure needs are so that we can include them in the budget.
“We won’t abandon any project. If we don’t have the money we won’t embark on any project.”
Earlier, the Kwali Area Council Chairman, Danladi Chiya had listed several challenges facing the Council and asked for the establishment of a police division in Gwako as well as a military base in another part of the council.
“We have a lot of challenges security-wise. Indeed, we have challenges because of the hills surrounding Kwali. There are bad roads that the bad guys also use to abduct people. The roads are not motorable. Come to our aid to help put the roads in good shape. That will help reduce the incidences of kidnapping.
“We also require further military presence. We have vast lands. We need more police stations especially in Gwako which has become a haven for these bad elements.
“We will write to your office because there is another road that has been abandoned by the contractors. Wherever they discover that the roads are not good, they use such spots as hideouts.
“Our people are prepared to chase them, but for the bad roads.
“Then our stadium in Kwali, the bad boys have turned it into a hideout. There is little we could do on the stadium because it is an FCDA project.
“We also need motorcycles for the vigilance teams. I have given them some before but we need more and therefore I seek your intervention in this regard”, he stated.
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