By Gabriel Atumeyi
365Daily – A Civil Society Organisation, Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices Initiative (CAACASVI), has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over alleged maladministration in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA.
According to the group, in the past six months, the office of the Director of Treasury of FCTA has been vacant “for no justifiable reason.”
The petition, dated June 21, was signed by the Executive Director of the group, Olumuyiwa Onlede, and copied to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, and the FCT ministers.
Others copied in the petition included the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, Director of Department of State Security, FCT Commissioner of Police and the Media.
“Your Excellency Sir, this is gross violation of principle of corporate good governance in FCTA as the Permanent Secretary is simultaneously performing the function of Director of treasury thereby making approvals and payments at the same time which means the Permanent Secretary approbate and reprobate at the same time,” the group stated.
The group also accused the FCTA of illegally demolishing structures even when there are substantive court orders restraining development control from carrying out such demolitions.
In the petition, the group accused Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Musa Bello of maladministration, incompetence and loss of control in the FCTA, lamenting that the minister’s action had resulted in abysmal performance and loss of revenue in the territory.
According to the group, the Minister “always looks the other way when served with court orders and this has resulted to cost being awarded against FCDA by the court in a way that the account of FCDA is garnished to serve as deterrent and this adversely affects the running of FCDA in term of fund.”
It also said since the beginning of the current administration in 2015 there had been no substantive Executive Secretary to pilot the affairs of the five Secretariats of FCTA, adding that the management of the departments had been in acting capacity since then.
According to the group, the action has affected the policy implementation of FCTA due to the fact that those in acting capacity are not permitted by law to take some critical decisions or act on them.
The group also accused the Minister of allocating areas tagged as green or water ways to property developers for construction of estates.
It, therefore, gave the Minister a 14-day ultimatum to address the issues raised or face mass action.