Senate Orders Banks, Others To Keep Abuja Clean

The Senate has directed banks and other corporate organisations operating within Abuja to henceforth sanitise and beautify the nation’s capital as part of their corporate social responsibility.

The idea, according to the senate committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is to also save public funds hitherto used in executing the task by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

Chairman of the committee, Senator Dino Melaye, who gave the hint during a press briefing by the committee at the National Assembly complex yesterday added that the plan also involved getting rid of destitute and miscreants from the capital city in order to have a federal capital that can be compared to others around the world.

Melaye hinted that the committee had last week summoned heads of all banks operating in the FCT to a meeting where issues of correcting and ameliorating the problems associated with environmental sanitation of the city were discussed.

He said, “We discovered that despite the fact that hundreds of millions from budgetary provisions of FCT annually paid to contractors for the maintenance of our street lights and the maintenance of all the streets and environment of Abuja is not yielding any positive result.

“So, the committee decided to invite these banks and in line with their corporate social responsibility to the federal capital city, their host community, that we are going to share all the major streets in Abuja to banks.

“These banks will now do the maintenance of street lights, will now be responsible for the environmental sanitation of all the streets, their beautification, and roundabouts where you have them. By so doing, they will also have the logo of their companies or their brands at least being advertised on the street lights”.

Melaye, who observed that the development was not a new trend across the globe, said it is believed that the policy will check wastage and help to block leakages.

“There have been several millions paid to contractors for the maintenance of street lights and keeping the environment tidy and clean. The funds will be saved and this can now go to the development of our satellite towns and provisions of infrastructural facilities in the suburbs of Abuja”, he added.

He further noted that the committee was appalled with the security situation in Abuja and uncomfortable as well with the number of hoodlums on the streets, among other miscreants.

“We have given a marching order to the Commissioner of Police and the Commandant of NSCDC. We have also instructed the FCT (minister) to provide logistics for the immediate evacuation of all dissidents and beggars, including those little boys who claim they are helping you to clean your glass and, by so doing, adding additional dirt to your cars”, the senator said.