NEWS
‘Why Sacked Heads of FCTA Agencies Had to Go’
BY Bamidele Ogundana
Above caption was a piece published in one of the national dailies on October 4 2023 edition and it quickly caught my attention.
The reason being that as one who has been around for a while in the FCT and who expects more than the administration has offered so far, one was excited at the announcement of Barrister Nyesom Wike as minister.
Those of us in the FCT were encouraged in the hope that this would be a semblance of real governance; something that can only be compared to the administration of the immediate-past governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, then as FCT minister.
Expectations from the current FCT administration have no doubt increased the interest of the residents in governance.
That is why every policy pronouncement made by Wike attracts more than a passing attention.The issue at discussion is one of them. Wike had about two weeks ago removed the heads of 21 agencies in the FCTA and the wisdom behind that sweeping directive is being put to question by the referenced write up.
My immediate response on reading the above was ‘no, he needn’t sack all if he doesn’t have to’. But then, can he sack even more than that number? To that I say ‘yes, if he has to’.
As for the career civil servants who were affected, my understanding is that Wike does not have to retire them and he didn’t retire them to the best of my knowledge. But it is within his power to remove them as heads of those agencies if by his own estimation, they do not fit into his plan.
This brings me to the case of the sacked Managing Director of Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTCO), Mallam Najeeb Abdulsalam who was said to have been appointed just three months before his sack.
The reason his sack is being questioned is that his former staff protested against it. They reportedly claimed that he did what no other CEO had done in the history of that company. But what exactly did he do? I am not sure any of the protesters said so. What could he have done in three months?
Let us assume without conceding that Mallam Najeeb of AUMTCO provided an array of hope for the workers of the transport company and may have delivered, had Wike not fired him. On what basis should someone lump Mallam Najeeb whom his staff shed tears for (even if crocodile’s type)- to another CEO whom his own staff and traders across the markets of the FCT had protested against his protracted stay in office.
In the said write up, Wike was also vilified for not considering that the sacked Managing Director of Abuja Markets Management Limited, Abubakar Usman Faruk ‘was just reinstated by series of court orders less than three months ago’.
The write conveniently ignored the ugly details surrounding Abubakar Usman Faruk’s stay at AMML, in an effort at misleading the reading public to believing that the minister’s action was not thought through. A simple Google search of the name would have given the writer more than he bargained for, had he cared to.
Abubakar Usman Faruk was appointed by former FCT minister Adamu Aliero in April 4 2009. He was there until 2020 when the erstwhile minister Mohammed Musa Bello redeployed him following allegations of land grabbing and others.
He was directed to hand over to the most senior staff of AMML then and report to the Office of Director Human Resources (FCTA). He complied with this directives for three whole years within which he drew full salaries and allowance from AMML, some even upfront to 2024.
When the then minister reconstituted some boards including that of AMML, he again approached another court to challenge the legality of the board so reconstituted, sensing that the board was going to sound a final nail to his unending stay.
The court ruled that he was still a director of AMML going by the provision of CAMA 2020 but nowhere in the ruling was he reinstated as the MD of AMML as suggested by the said write up.
Also, the owners of the company made up of Abuja Investments Company Limited and Federal Capital Territory Administration sitting at an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting on the 17th of July 2023, relieved Mr Faruk of his job for ‘services no longer required’.
If there is just one person that should be fired among that 21 heads of FCT agencies, one does not see any other person more qualified than a CEO who had stayed a record 15 years in office including three years of no work but full pay.
The minister has his job cut out for him and should go ahead to deliver on it by ensuring that he immediately appoints people with shared vision and competence into those vacant positions.
Ogundana writes from Abuja.
Niger Government has established the state Price Control and Monitoring Board, approved by Gov. Umaru Bago to ensure fair pricing and consumer protection.
Alh. Abubakar Usman, Secretary to the Niger Government (SSG), inaugurated members of the board on Thursday in Minna.
The eight-member board has Alh.
Hussaini Ahmed, a former Permanent Secretary as the chairman.Usman noted that the inauguration of the board marked a significant step in the state’s commitment to ensuring fair pricing and consumer protection.
He said that the board was expected to control and stabilise prices of essential commodities and eradicate or reduce to the barest minimum, hoarding of essential commodities across the state.
He said that board would also handle issues that may arise as a result of enforcement and penalty for contravention of guidelines among several others.
“The board will be responsible for the distribution, monitoring and evaluation of essential commodities and keep price under continuous surveillance.
“They will also interpret price movement and relate them to other development in the State’s economy,” Usman said.
He said the board was expected to interface with relevant stakeholders such as local government chairmen, traditional institutions and councilors and well as market organisations to ensure the success of their mandate.
The SSG enjoined members of board to bring their wealth of experience and expertise in economics, consumer affairs and market dynamics to bear in their assignment.
He said that their appointment underscored the government’s dedication to maintaining economic stability and safeguarding the interests of both consumers and businesses in the state.
In his remarks, the board chairman, Ahmed, assured that the board would interface with relevant stakeholders within and outside the state in order to bring succour to the populace.
Other members of the board include Hamza Bello, Permanent Secretary, Investment, Aliyu Abubakar, Permanent Secretary, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Garba Abdullahi, from Ministry of Basic Education.
Also on the board are Adamu Maikasuwa, Ministry of Agriculture, DCP Aminu Garba, Nigeria Police, Niger Command, Aminu Ladan, Chairman, Chanchaga Local Government Area and Usman Liman, retired Statistician-General as Secretary of the Board. (NAN)
The Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), has shared N1.298 trillion among the Federal Government, states, and the Local Government Councils (LGCs) for September.
This is according to a communique issued at the end of FAAC meeting for October held on Thursday in Abuja.
The communiqué was made available to newsmen by Bawa Mokwa, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAGF).
According to the communiqué, N1.
298 trillion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N124.716 billion, and distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N543.518 billion.It also comprised Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N18.
445 billion, Exchange Difference revenue of N462.191 billion and Augmentation of N150.000 billion.It said that a total revenue of N2.258 trillion was available in the month of September.
“Total deduction for cost of collection was N80.993 billion, while total transfers, interventions and refunds was N878.946 billion,” it said.
According to the communiqué, gross statutory revenue of N1.043 trillion was received in September 2024, which was lower than the sum of N1.221 trillion received in August by N177.426 billion.
It said that gross revenue of N583.675 billion was available from VAT in September, higher than the N573.341 billion available in the month of August by N10.334 billion.
“From the N1.298 trillion total distributable revenue, the Federal Government received a total sum of N424.867 billion, and the state governments received a total sum of N453.724 billion.
“The LGCs received a total sum of N329.864 billion and a total sum of N90.415 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting states as derivation revenue,” it said.
On the N124.716 billion statutory revenue, the communiqué said that the Federal Government received N43.037 billion and the state governments received N21.829 billion, while the LGCs received N16.829 billion.
It said that the sum of N43.021 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting states as derivation revenue.
“From the N543.518 billion VAT revenue, the Federal Government received N81.528 billion, the state governments received N271.759 billion and the LGCs received N190.231 billion,” it said.
It said that in September, Oil and Gas Royalty, Excise Duty, EMTL and CET Levies increased considerably while VAT and Import Duty increased marginally.
It added that Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Companies Income Tax (CIT) and others recorded significant decreases. (NAN)
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has reiterated the importance of strict adherence to traffic laws, emphasising the prohibition of commercial motorcycles on highways and other restricted routes.
Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, the General Manager, said this in a statement on Thursday, signed by Mr Taofiq Adebayo, Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA.
Bakare-Oki said that non-compliance with the regulations not only jeopardised the safety of the riders but also endangered the lives of other road users.
The statement came following the death of a motorcycle rider going against traffic on Carter Bridge, due to a collision with a fast-moving vehicle.
Bakare-Oki noted that the deceased, reportedly traveling from Ebute Ero, collided head-on with a fast-moving vehicle as it ascended Carter Bridge from Ilubirin.
“The forceful impact of the collision led to the immediate death of the motorcyclist while the vehicle driver ran away.
“Personnel from the LASTMA promptly arrived at the scene of the accident and swiftly alerted officers from the Central Police Station at Adeniji Adele and Shemo.
“Together, they coordinated efforts to retrieve the lifeless body of the rider, while LASTMA officials handed over the motorcycle to security authorities for further investigation,” he said.
The LASTMA boss extended his heartfelt sympathy to the family of the deceased.
“LASTMA remains committed to upholding public safety and is intensifying its efforts to minimise the occurrence of such tragic incidents on Lagos roads,” he said. (NAN)
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