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THE NATION TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015 35<br />
ABUJA REVIEW<br />
FCT inaugurates<br />
children’s home<br />
THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT)<br />
Administration has inaugurated a<br />
children’s home cum transit camp for<br />
orphans, motherless babies and abandoned<br />
babies in Gwako community in Gwagwalada<br />
Area Council, Abuja.<br />
The administration said the home which is<br />
equipped with skills acquisition facilities, is<br />
capable of transforming the lives of the teeming<br />
youths and vulnerable children who<br />
roam the streets of Abuja as beggars or destitute.<br />
Minister of State for the FCT, Olajumoke<br />
Akinjide who inaugurated the homeý said<br />
FCT residents are yet to see the end of the<br />
current administration because it still has<br />
more to give to Nigerians.<br />
She added that even as the new government<br />
takes power, it should continue from<br />
where the present administration stopped<br />
and not allow all the laudable projects of the<br />
outgoing government to waste.<br />
She said: “The vision for a facility that will<br />
cater for the welfare of this vulnerable segment<br />
of our population, mainly orphans,<br />
motherless and abandoned babies, is in keeping<br />
with the transformation agenda of the<br />
outgoing administration.<br />
“The inauguration of this project therefore<br />
underscores the many positive projects which<br />
have been executed by this administration<br />
as it draws the curtain over an eventful tenure.<br />
“The home being inaugurated today is, indeed,<br />
only one of such projects and is designed<br />
to pass on the torch of positive legacy<br />
to the FCT residents and the incoming administration.<br />
“Governance is continuous. The FCTA remains<br />
grateful for your sacrifices and urges<br />
you to remain resolute and give the same<br />
loyalty and support to the incoming administration”<br />
Akinjide thanked residents for their support<br />
and partnership as they work together<br />
to improve the welfare of residents and to<br />
advance the fortunes of the territory; saying<br />
that the facility aims at alleviating the plight<br />
of children who, for no fault of theirs, found<br />
themselves on the unfortunate segment of<br />
our society.<br />
“It will serve as an educational as well as a<br />
skill acquisition centre for the home mates<br />
while benefiting the host community. We<br />
are certainly hopeful that it will give these<br />
children a solid start in life.<br />
“The quality of care given to our children<br />
irrespective of the circumstances of their<br />
birth, to a large extent, determines the value<br />
of their adulthood and by extension will<br />
impact on the future of our nation.<br />
“It is therefore for this reason that the home<br />
has been structured to provide an enabling<br />
environment for these vulnerable children<br />
to develop self-reliance and self-confidence<br />
and to be mentally adjusted to fit into the<br />
larger society in order to compete favourably<br />
with their peers in the future.”<br />
She, therefore, urged managers of the facility<br />
to ensure that the purpose of the home<br />
is fully realised.<br />
From Grace Obike<br />
In her speech, Special Guest of Honour and<br />
Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab<br />
Maina, commended the FCTA for the “dynamic<br />
project” just as she called on wellmeaning<br />
Nigerians to support the project.<br />
She added that in other climes, citizens do<br />
not wait for government to provide everything<br />
for them.<br />
In her welcome address, Secretary, Social<br />
Development Secretariat, Mrs. Blessing<br />
Onuh, said the ceremony marked the completion<br />
of a project that is capable of transforming<br />
the lives of teeming youths and vulnerable<br />
children who roam the streets of the<br />
FCT as destitute and beggars.<br />
“This centre is meant to be a transit camp<br />
to cater for their immediate needs. The administration<br />
thought it wise to provide them<br />
with skills while they wait to be re-united<br />
with their families,” she said.<br />
She noted that it was at some point like a<br />
burden for this administration due to large<br />
influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs)<br />
into the FCT but “we thank God for a successful<br />
completion of this project. We hope<br />
that we will raise our future entrepreneurs<br />
as we have provided various training facilities<br />
to meet up with the growing demand of<br />
global trend.”<br />
The inauguration, which was attended by<br />
Hajia Maina, Olajimoke and other government<br />
officials, was the brainchild of the Social<br />
Development Secretariat and funded by<br />
the FCT Administration. The project comprises<br />
six classrooms that can take at least 50<br />
people each for theoretical learning; an administrative<br />
block, workshops in various<br />
skills ranging from fashion designing and<br />
tailoring, shoe making and design, hairdressing<br />
and salon technique, welding and<br />
wrought iron design and catering and<br />
confectionaries; 200-capacity multi-purpose<br />
hall and recreational facilities such as synthetic<br />
five aside football pitch and a volley<br />
ball court and hostel facilities that can accommodate<br />
about 1, 000 people.<br />
The hall, according to Onuh, can be utilised<br />
for several events ranging from business,<br />
workshops, conventions and reception,<br />
among others through which the centre can<br />
be self-sustained; as they intend to maintain<br />
it through internally-generated revenue.<br />
She called on individuals and organisations<br />
to partner with the Social Development Secretariat<br />
in achieving this objective.<br />
She, however, warned youths who roam<br />
the streets of the FCT that begging is prohibited<br />
in FCT. Onuh urged them to take advantage<br />
of the opportunity provided by government<br />
to improve their well-being.<br />
She also urged FCT residents not to encourage<br />
begging by giving alms to beggars on<br />
the street.<br />
“They should instead make such contributions<br />
to existing aid programmes carried out<br />
by our churches, mosques and the centre<br />
whenever they wish to support the welfare<br />
of these vulnerable groups,” she said.<br />
‘The inauguration of this project therefore<br />
underscores the many positive projects which<br />
have been executed by this administration as<br />
it draws the curtain over an eventful tenure.<br />
The home being inaugurated today is, indeed,<br />
only one of such projects and is designed to<br />
pass on the torch of positive legacy to the FCT<br />
residents and the incoming administration…<br />
Governance is continuous. The FCTA<br />
remains grateful for your sacrifices and<br />
urges you to remain resolute and give<br />
the same loyalty and support<br />
to the incoming administration’<br />
•From left: Minister of State for FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide; Minister of State for Agriculture<br />
and Natural Resources, Asabe Asmau Ahmed and Minister of Water Resources, Sarah<br />
Ochekpe during the Federal Executive Council Meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.<br />
•From left: Former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipire Sylva; Secretary to the Government<br />
of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and Mrs Ibukun Odusote during the<br />
Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee meeting at the Banquet Hall Presidential<br />
Villa in Abuja. PHOTOS: AKIN OLADOKUN<br />
•Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi (middle); Deputy<br />
Corps Marshal, Administration, Chidi Nwachukwu (left) and Deputy Corps Marshal, Operations,<br />
Adei Abu at the strategic session with 313 Commanding Officers in Abuja<br />
PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE<br />
‘Give us good feeder roads’<br />
RESIDENTS of Dutse Sokale in Bwari<br />
Area Council of the Federal Capital<br />
Territory (FCT) have appealed to the<br />
chairman of the council, Hon. Peter Yohanna<br />
to construct feeder roads in the community,<br />
in order to alleviate their suffering.<br />
Mr. Simon Chukwu, one of the residents<br />
who spoke with our reporter lamented that<br />
state of the roads in the community is unbearable,<br />
as most of the residents suffered<br />
immeasurably.<br />
According to Chukwu, residents of the community<br />
have made countless appeals to the<br />
leadership of the council to provide<br />
infrastructural development for the people<br />
in the community, but not much has been<br />
done in that regard, apart from the improved<br />
power supply.<br />
“We really need good feeder roads in this<br />
community, because, without it, life is unbearable.<br />
Car owners in this community repair<br />
their cars on weekly basis because of the<br />
bad roads and they have no choice, since they<br />
From Gbenga Omokhunu<br />
live in the community.<br />
“Whenever it rains, the entire community<br />
will be in mess, to the extent that you will<br />
not be able to identify where the road is or<br />
where the pits which gully erosion has constructed<br />
are. Now that the rain is about to<br />
start, we are afraid because of the challenges<br />
we will experience,” he said.<br />
Isah Ishiaku, a motorcycle operator in<br />
Dutse Sokale explained that due to the deplorable<br />
state of the roads in the community,<br />
most of them get scared to ply the roads<br />
when it rains, because they often fall off from<br />
their bikes with passengers.<br />
“The truth is that the best thing the chairman,<br />
Hon. Peter Yohanna can do for us now<br />
is for him to give us good roads in this community.<br />
If the roads are constructed, we will<br />
have peace of mind to carry our passengers<br />
to their destinations without fear of falling<br />
into the mud,” he said.