Posted by Musa Simon Reef, Abuja on
MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has been redeployed to The Presidency following the scrapping of the ministry by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has been redeployed to The Presidency following the scrapping of the ministry by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
His redeployment and the formal announcement of the scrapping of the ministry were made public on Tuesday in Abuja.
The minister will also double as Chairman of the FCDA Board as provided for in Section 18a of the Federal Capital Territory Act.
El-Rufai, in a statement, explained that by this action, the Federal Capital Development Authourity and "other agencies such as the water board, Abuja Environmental Protection Board and the secretariats, are now the principal developers, managers and providers of municipal services within the FCT as contained in the Federal Capital Territory Act of 1976."
The minister said he had set up an eight-member committee, headed by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Deji Omotade, to compile a report on the winding down of the ministry. The report is to be submitted to the minister on March 31.
Highlights of the administrative changes, according to the statement, include the establishment of the Office of Chief of Staff to the Minister, secretariats and agencies.
The chief of staff is expected to perform the functions of Secretary to the Government of a state, including supervising administrative functions and serving as secretary of all committees.
Five secretariats have also been established and they will perform the same functions as ministries in a state.
The secretariats are agriculture and rural development; education; health and human services; social development and transport.
Four other agencies- Satellite Town Development Agencies, the Abuja Geographic Information Systems Agency; The Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency and the Abuja Tourism Development Agency- have also been created.
Each of the secretariats will be headed by an executive secretary each who is equivalent to a commissioner in a state. He will brief the minister regularly on the activities of his secretariat.
According to the statement, the FCT permanent secretary will, at the end of the winding-down, be deployed to the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation for redeployment.
The Coordinating Executive Secretary of the FCDA is now to be known and addressed as Executive Secretary and shall act as the principal adviser to the minister.
The PUNCH, Wednesday, March 2, 2005