- Stephen Godonu:
Minister of State in the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has assured residents of the territory that palliatives in various stores across the territory are safe and secure, as security agents have been deployed to man the strategic reserves. The minister made the disclosure in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Austin Elemue. Men of the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force had foiled an attempt by some youths to break into a warehouse at the Arts and Culture building in Area 10, Garki. The youths, numbering over 40 had invaded the area on Saturday morning and made attempts to gain entry into the building to evacuate palliatives warehoused in the place by the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA.
However, Aliyu who explained that warehouses are supposed to stock supplies for emergency response including the recurrence of COVID-19 pandemic, warning that “unsuspecting members of the public should therefore not be lured into criminality under the guise of ‘hoarded’ palliative food items in the territory”. The minister, also stated that the FCT Administration had in the past months distributed all items procured and also distributed donated items to the Area Councils, Community Associations, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Professional bodies/associations, stressing that the administration has continued to receive donations that are distributed on a continuous basis and in a transparent manner. She affirmed that details of such distributions are in the public domain, reaching more than a million households and individuals across the territory, adding that the Administration did ensure that CSOs and the ICPC participated in the distribution exercise to ensure transparency.