El-Rufai To Rid Abuja Of Illegal Structures By December
FROM CHRIS GARBA, ABUJA
In the calculation of the FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the seat of power will be free of illegal structures by December this year.
El-Rufai spoke yesterday in Abuja when members of the House of Representatives Committee on the FCT visited him.
The minister also said that the early completion of the N25 billion National Assembly Complex would depend on the availability and release of funds to the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
He said his administration was also determined to build about 54 blocks of classrooms before the end of the year.
El-Rufai, therefore, appealed to the committee to look into the problems of squatter settlements, sewage treatment and water shortage in the FCT. He said that street lighting system in the territory needed attention because most of them had been vandalised.
The minister also declared all orphanages in Abuja illegal, saying that there were no laws backing their existence.
The minister stated that his administration would protect children in such homes against ritualists and child traffickers by formulating policies that would guide their formation.
The panel chairman, Mr. Philip Adudu, said that the purpose of the members' visit was to enable them evaluate the budgetary performance of the ministry.
He explained that the verification of MFCT projects had become imperative to enable the committee know how the 2004 budget was executed and areas that needed improvement in the coming fiscal year.
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