The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has called on all the residents of the nation’s capital to participate in the 2023 general elections coming up next month in the same spirit of peace, unity, and togetherness.
The minister, who made the call while delivering his New Year message, applauded residents of the Territory for their exemplary conduct not only in their collective quest of building a befitting capital territory for Nigeria but for holding to the principles of unity and peaceful co-existence, which is the foundation on which the FCT is grounded.
According to the minister, exactly a year ago, in his 2022 New Year message, he enjoined residents of the Territory to participate actively in the Area Council elections, commending the residents for abiding by the democratic and lawful processes in the election of the current Council chairmen.
“Once again, I call on all of us, in the same spirit of peace, unity, and togetherness, to participate in the 2023 general elections coming up next month. As residents of the FCT, we are obliged to live up to the ideals of the founding fathers of the territory as a place that every Nigerian can call home.
“We must, therefore, collectively resist any attempt to cause disharmony and disaffection within our ranks. Elections in the FCT have always been peaceful. Let us ensure that the upcoming 2023 polls also reflect this.
“In the preceding year, the FCT Administration consolidated its efforts of providing world-class infrastructure for the Territory with efforts to complete ongoing projects and investing heavily in the maintenance and upgrading of existing ones.
“It is to our credit that despite the heavy rainfalls and attendant floods that devastated several parts of the country, we were largely spared this misfortune. This is because, having learned from our experiences in the past, adequate measures were taken to prevent any such re-occurrence,” he said.
Bello also solicited the cooperation and support of FCT residents, as the Administration continue the task of removing illegal structures and settlements within the city both for security purposes and maintaining the sanctity of the Abuja Masterplan.
“It must be understood that these corrective measures are essential if truly our city is to evolve into one of the most aesthetically pleasing and functional cities in the world. The presence of illegal settlements and shanties will only draw us further away from attaining this goal.
“Fellow residents, we are confronted daily with the unwholesome and unpatriotic activities of vandals who wantonly destroy or steal public infrastructure installed by the government at great cost. Replacing or repairing this critical infrastructure cost a lot of money which otherwise would have been invested in other equally essential projects.
“You are therefore enjoined to treat critical public infrastructure as you would treat your personal property and help to protect all public assets located within your vicinity.
“I wish also to commend the security agencies in the FCT for the tremendous work they have been doing in ensuring the safety of lives and property within the Territory as the incidences of violent crimes have witnessed a decline over the past few months,” the Minister stated.
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