By Ben Adoga, Abuja
Primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory will soon call off their two-week-old strike as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has waded into the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) crisis.
Wike yesterday had a closed-door meeting with the six FCT area council chairmen, and officials of the NULGE in the company of the Mandate Secretary, Area Councils Services Secretariat.
Briefing the press after the meeting, Wike said the issue had been resolved and that NULGE would do the needful soon.
NULGE was mobilising area council workers to join their NUT counterparts from Monday next week. The timely meeting averted the total strike.
The Secretary of FCT Area Council Services Secretariat, Bitrus Lawrence-Garki, explained that the committee was given terms of reference to address issues surrounding the deductions of 40 percent, and hazard allowance among other peculiar allowances.
He said the face-off dates back to 2006, saying NULGE agreed with the FCT intervention as he added that the solution to the long-dated issue is in progress.
This is coming as NUGLE had slated October 2nd, to embark on strike in solidarity with Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) that have been on strike since the resumption of schools in the territory for the 2023/2024 academic session.
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Wike said in the next 48 hours all issues igniting grievances among the parties should be addressed.
“We have set up a committee to come up with modalities on how the problem will be resolved. We believe that NUGLE is satisfied with the arrangements put on the ground to resolve these issues. I believe that in the next 48 hours NUGLE should do the needful because of the interest of the people,” he said.
Fielding questions from journalists after the meeting, Mandate Secretary FCT Area Councils Service Secretariat, Bitrus Garki, said the issues bothered the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, hazard allowances, and other deductions that the union was putting forward.
“The minister has set up a six-man committee comprising of all the parties involved. From our discussion with NUGLE, the union applauded the minister for his speedy intervention through his quick response to it letter.
•Joint task force clears scavengers’ den in Mabushi
Residents of the Mabushi area of Abuja will henceforth experience some respite as FCTA joint Task Force in collaboration with the Development Control Department cleared the area of criminal elements and other unwanted nuisances.
The bulldozers cleared all shanties and butchers around the area. Warn-out car tyres, scavenger hideouts, and illegal drug dealers’ dens among others were equally removed.
The Mabushi clean-up was carried out to restore sanity in the area towards ensure the safety of residents.
During the operation, the FCT Director, Department of Development Control, Murktar Galadima, told newsmen that the FCTA had taken the decisive decision to remove all shanties serving as a haven for the scavengers to perpetrate their heinous crime.
Galadima used the medium to emphasise the importance of maintaining a clean city and called on residents to cooperate with the administration in its drive to keep Abuja more clean and more beautiful.
“The ongoing clean-up exercise is a continuous effort of FCTA to clean the city. We call on the public to support us to keep the city clean. We have carried out similar exercises in different areas of FCT like Katampe, Area One, Apo, and so on, today is Mabushi and we are not relenting.”
Speaking on the security implication of the Mabushi clean-up, the Secretary of the FCTA Command and Control Center, Peter Olumuji, who said residents can now sleep with their two eyes closed, expressed optimism that reported cases of attacks on innocent citizens at night would drastically be minimised.
“The sanitation issue here is very poor. Mabushi has become a source of worry and concern, both to those residing here and government offices around here. The clearance here is to ensure that the increasing crime rate here is curbed to the nearest minimum.
“We have gotten reports of phones being snatched from people in the evening time and people are being stabbed in their vehicles even when they parked because of these shanties here, so we have to clear this environment.”
Olumiji added that efforts would be intensified to monitor and secure the recovered portions of land from the hoodlums.
Lending his voice, the District Monitor of Mabushi and Katampe officer, Mr Samson Atureta disclosed that the recovered portions of land would be made green area.
“Given the government’s desire to reduce scavengers, we are evacuating these tyres, shanties, and shops, as you can see, the ground is been levelled and some trees are being planted immediately. This place is being prepared for recreation. It is a green area,” Atureta said.
