Health
FCT revives abandoned Utako hospital, upgrades 14 others
Deborah Musa
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has approved the immediate renovation and upgrading of its 14 general hospitals, while work is to resume on the long-abandoned Utako General Hospital.
The decisions were among the major resolutions of the 19th meeting of the FCT Executive Council, presided over by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and attended by the Minister of State, Mariya Mahmoud.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lere Olayinka, the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Chidi Amadi, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the meeting.
Amadi stated that the council considered 20 memoranda from various secretariats, departments and agencies.
Giving details of the health-sector resolutions, the Mandate Secretary, Health Secretariat and Environmental Services, Adedolapo Fasawe, said the council approved the immediate commencement of the renovation, rehabilitation and upgrading of all 14 general hospitals in the territory.
She said the “intervention would include the procurement of new medical equipment, diagnostic facilities and X-ray machines, as well as the upgrading of hospital theatres”.
Fasawe also disclosed that Wike had directed the commencement of work on the Utako General Hospital, which had remained abandoned for years.
She said the project would cover the construction, equipping and staffing of the facility.
According to her, “the measures were aimed at strengthening the availability of quality, affordable and accessible healthcare services for residents of the FCT.”
Fasawe added that the administration had continued to meet its financial obligations to health insurance providers and Health Maintenance Organisations through the payment of premiums and capitation.
The council also approved the digitalisation of the FCT High Court, covering about 67 courtrooms across its various judicial divisions.
The General Counsel, Salman Dako, said the project would introduce electronic court recording and case-management systems, replacing manual recording and physical filing of cases with digital processes.
He said the initiative would address challenges associated with manual documentation and handwritten records, adding that implementation was expected to commence immediately, with noticeable improvements targeted within two weeks.
In the education sector, the council approved two contracts for the provision of examination materials for pupils and students in primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools across the FCT.
The Mandate Secretary for Education, Danlami Hayyo, said the “approval was part of efforts to consolidate the administration’s ongoing transformation of public schools through renovation, rehabilitation, improved classroom facilities and the provision of instructional materials.”
Hayyo said the improvement in public school infrastructure had encouraged some parents to transfer their children from private schools to public schools.
He said the provision of examination materials would ensure that examinations were conducted smoothly across FCT public schools.
The Satellite Towns Development Department also secured approval for a N5.703bn contract for the construction of a 33KVA power supply line from Dawaki to Tukulo and surrounding villages in Bwari Area Council.
The Coordinator of STDD, Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, said the project was awarded to CGC Nigeria Limited and would be completed within eight months.
The council also ratified two previously completed and commissioned road projects in the satellite towns.
They include the Gaba-Tukulo Road and a two-span river bridge in Bwari Area Council, awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited for N8.219bn, inclusive of 7.5 per cent VAT.
The second is the rehabilitation of the Paikon Kore-Ibuwa Road in Gwagwalada Area Council, also awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited at N8.890bn, inclusive of 7.5 per cent VAT.
Zulkiflu said both projects had a 12-month completion period and had already been completed and inaugurated.
The Department of Land Administration also secured approval for three memoranda aimed at improving its operations and strengthening revenue collection.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, said the council approved the procurement of utility vehicles and an integrated ICT infrastructure and related accessories for the department.
He said the ICT upgrade would include desktop computers, workstations, display screens, scanners, network switches, fibre-optic connections, data-centre servers, monitoring systems and cooling systems.
The council also ratified the award of a contract for the printing of customised revenue receipt booklets.
Nwankwoeze said the redesigned receipts would contain enhanced security features aimed at preventing alterations and fraudulent practices in the land revenue collection system.
He said the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company would handle the printing of the new receipts.
The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council secured approval for six memoranda, five of which were for ratification and one for fresh approval.
The Overseeing Coordinator of AMMC, Mary Ahmadu, said the approvals would facilitate maintenance works across the capital, particularly in waterways and other areas affected by environmental challenges.
She said indiscriminate dumping of refuse had contributed to blocked waterways and flooding in parts of the FCT, stressing the need for sustained maintenance and environmental management.
The FCT Water Board also secured approval for two memoranda, including the supply of powdered chlorine, otherwise known as high-test hypochlorite (HTH), for water treatment.
The Acting General Manager of the Water Board, Chinyere Elechi, said the chemical was essential for disinfecting water and eliminating pathogenic microorganisms before distribution to consumers.
She said adequate treatment of water was necessary to prevent waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid and dysentery.
The second memorandum approved by the council concerned the renewal of insurance for facilities associated with the Lower Usman Dam Treatment Plant.
Also, the Director of the FCTA Security Services Department, Adamu Gwary, said the council approved the construction of a new Divisional Police Station at the Wasa Informal Sector ahead of the planned relocation of Apo mechanics and artisans to the area.
Gwary said the project, approved at Tuesday’s meeting, would be completed within six months.
He said the project followed the Minister’s directive to provide adequate security for the sector and surrounding communities as economic activities increase.
Gwary said the Wasa project was part of Wike’s broader security initiative aimed at bringing policing closer to rural and developing communities across the FCT.
He disclosed that the administration planned to build two divisional police stations in each of the six area councils.
He added that two stations at Ushafa and Saburi had already been completed, furnished and handed over, with each facility also having furnished six-man staff quarters.
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