FCTA talks tough on cattle rearing in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has read riot act against cattle rearing within the area.

It said despite several attempts to control movement of cattle in the city, there had been reports of disturbances and damage tied to nomadism.

Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu, at a media briefing, disclosed that more steps were being taken to check the menace.

Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Hassan Abubakar, stated that the decision of the FCTA to ban open grazing followed the ban by the Northern Governors’ Forum, which described the practice as outdated.

Five locations, have been subsequently, created for cattle grazing in Abaji, Kwali and Kuje area councils.

Meanwhile, the FCTA lamented that despite the payment of N12,055,231,626.39 as electricity bills to Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for 2021, the federal city had suffered poor power.

Shuaibu said FCTA “is not indebted whatsoever to AEDC,” adding that “it has become worrisome that the services of the AEDC have remained poor in the city.”

Shuaibu said in the past two years, the FCTA has made concerted efforts to ensure steady and uninterrupted power supply to streetlights through strategic interventions by the administration.

“So far, N2, 055,231,626.39 has been paid to AEDC for the year 2021 alone by the FCT Administration. Presently, the FCTA is not indebted whatsoever to the AEDC.

“It is expected that with the huge investment and cooperation of the FCTA to ensure smooth running of its services, the AEDC will efficiently provide adequate power to serve the vital infrastructure in the city. Unfortunately, the failure of the AEDC to live up to their responsibilities is unjustifiably mistaken for lack of performance by the FCT Administration,” he stated.

In the meantime, the FCTA’s Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS) has said it generated N1,175,000 in the last three years. (Adopted from The Guardian)