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Dev Control Generates Over N2b, 13,000 Jobs, Grants 1,422 Building Approvals
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Department of Development Control, at the weekend, revealed that over two billion naira was generated in 2023.
The department also created over thirteen thousand direct and indirect jobs and granted more than one thousand building plan approvals within the same period.
Director of the Department, Muktar Galadima, stated this during an end-of-year media parley in his Wuse Zone 6 office.
According to him, the department achieved N2,534,673,850.08 revenue generation from January to October, 2023, representing 68.5 percent of the N3.7 billion target given to it department for the year.
He expressed optimism that his department would hit the target before December, saying, “We are embarking on recovering the bills awarded so that people can pay before end of this year so that we can meet our revenue target.”
Galadima stressed that the department received 1,765 building plan applications, quickly processed and granted 1,422, thus facilitating the generation of 13,873 direct and indirect jobs on different construction sites across the Territory.
The Director also disclosed that, in the course of ensuring that developments in the FCT complied with provisions of the Abuja Master Plan, 11,705 illegal structures and shanty colonies were dismantled within the period.
He further explained that these achievements were possible due to measures the department put in place to facilitate timely building approvals and efficient monitoring and inspection of developments.
Some of them include formation of one-stop vetting team to treat backlog of files and fast-track building plan approvals for plots in serviced areas and establishment of regional offices to decentralize monitoring and enforcement activities in the area councils and satellite towns.
Others are the constitution of committee on prevention of building collapse in the FCT, which is expected to also proffer preventing modalities, including institutional frame work against building collapse; as well as the creation of post-development audit pilot scheme.
Major activities the department carried out in collaboration with others include removal of structures obstructing waterways at Lugbe, Jahi and Lokogoma which has curtail the hitherto perennial deadly floodings, removal of encroachments on rights of way and security black spots, clearing of shanties and illegal developments in Kabusa, Kasuwadare, Galadimawa, Mabushi and Gudu.
Galadima also spoke on staff welfare, challenges and prospects of ths department.
On staff welfare, he revealed that, in addition to monthly medical checks for staff and sporting activities, the department has institutionalized yearly appraisal itself, during which staff bonding is enhanced and awards are presenting to deserving staff to boost morale and improve productivity.
The Director, however, listed some of the department’s major challenges, including increasing cases of land grabbing, continuous harassment of staff while on duty by security agencies, non-resettlement of indigenous communities, leading to expansion of slums across the city, as well as inadequate and obsolete utility vehicles for monitoring and enforcement.
Other challenges he listed are abandoned buildings, serving as criminal hideouts, non completion of the Phase V Districts Land Use plan, non utilization of land after removal of squatter settlements, inadequate office accommodation, and slow adoption to ICT and lack of full automation of activities, among others.
Several commercial transport operators in Ilorin on Thursday stormed some major streets in the metropolis to protest the new hike in petrol pump price.
During the protest, they expressed their displeasure with the sudden price hike, with the action leading to untold hardship for thousands of commuters.
The protests which commenced on Thursday morning significantly disrupted the movement of commercial vehicles across the city.
This forced passengers to resolve to trekking to their destinations.
The protest was spearheaded by some operators of commercial tricycles and commercial motorcycle riders who blocked several major roads in the city.
The road blocks occurred at Taiwo Isale, Coca-Cola road Junction, Maraba, Gambari Road and Offa Garage, bringing traffic to a standstill for several hours.
Consequently, commuters faced severe delays as the protesters restricted vehicular movements, demanding immediate action to address the situation.
Jimoh Abubakar, a commercial tricycle operator who spoke with newsmen at Maraba, revealed that the protest was because of the sudden hike in fuel pump price.
Abubakar said the increase was unfair, adding that transporters hardly made profit due to money spent on fuel.
“In fact, when we were charging N50 per drop, it was more profitable than now. The hardship is too much, the government should help us,” he said.
Another tricycle rider, Yusuf Issa, also called on government to reduce fuel pump price, saying tricycle riders now spend all their income on fuel.
“They (government) should reduce it totally. It is becoming very difficult to make any profit, not to talk of taking care of the family from what we do for a living,” he said.
The focal points of the protest, such as Maraba and Murtala Mohammed Way Junction, witnessed aggrieved transporters chanting “(We say) ‘No’ to consistent price hike”.
Security operatives, including personnel of the Nigerian Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were deployed to key areas in the metropolis to ease the tension and ensure orderliness.
The presence of security agents helped to prevent any escalation into violence and ensured that the protest remained largely peaceful in spite of the significant disruptions to daily activities.
The protest caused widespread disruption as residents who relied on public transport as they were stranded and could not go for their daily activities.
Many of them later resolved to trekking to their various destinations.
Report says that most independent petroleum marketers in Kwara now sell at different prices ranging from N950 to N1200 per litre.(NAN)
Police in Edo have detained a 19-year-old native doctor, Timothy Dauda, for allegedly shooting his client, Alex Ezekiel, to death during an “anti-bullet” charm trial.The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Yamu, confirmed the incident to Newsmen on Monday.Yamu said that the incident happened on August 20 in Onumu Community, near Igara, Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state.
He said that the suspect was arrested by operatives from Igarra Divisional Police Station in Akoko-Edo. The suspect allegedly claimed to specialise in preparing charms against gunshots and machete cuts.A source further told NAN that the deceased had visited the native doctor’s home to obtain the charm.It said that “in a shocking turn of events”, Dauda attempted to test the efficacy of the charm by shooting the client with a gun.The charm was said to have failed as he sustained fatal injuries.“When he was rushed to a hospital in Igarra, he was pronounced dead by a medical doctor,” the source further said.Meanwhile, the police spokesman said that the suspect would face prosecution as soon as investigations were concluded(NAN
The Police Command in Lagos State says it has arrested two men for allegedly robbing three commercial sex workers.
The Command’s Spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest to newsmen on Saturday.
Hundeyin said that the three sex workers reported the case to the police on Wednesday at about 2.
20a.m.He disclosed that the victims reported that they sighted two robbery suspects at an undisclosed place, who allegedly robbed them of their valuables on Aug.
23, at about 4.30a.m.“They stated they were picked up being commercial sex workers at Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Bode Thomas, Surulere by the two suspects.
“They were taken to where they claimed the (suspects) lodged.
Suddenly, the suspects parked and ordered them to surrender their valuables.“In the process, two Iphone valued at N1.05 million, one REDMI Note 12 valued at N140,000, Iphone SR valued at N240,000 were collected from them.
“The suspects also compelled the victims to transfer ₦25,OOO to an Opay Account and N8, 000 to same account,” he said.
The police spokesperson said that during investigation, the suspects confessed to the crime.
He disclosed that the suspects operational vehicle, a Toyota Camry with Reg. No. APP335 JA, two other blank number plates they were using for their operation were recovered.
Hundeyin said that one of the victim’s cell phone, REDMI NOTE 12, was also recovered from the suspects, while investigation was ongoing. (NAN)
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