BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

ABUJA – The Federal Capital Territory and five neighbouring states have established a Group of Six (G6) for the development of satellite towns across their territories.

Three of the five states in the partnership which share a common border with FCT are Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa, while others include Kaduna and Plateau because of their proximity to FCT.

Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, FCT Minister of State, in an interview with Vanguard, in Abuja, yesterday, said the territory had received the permission of President Goodluck Jonathan to develop satellite towns in FCT.

She also revealed that the FCT Administration was planning a joint development zone, comprising the five contiguous states of Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna and Plateau that would drive the economy of the region.

She said: “Going into partnership with neighbouring states is something we are looking at as a territory. It is not only between Nasarawa and FCT. It is also not only between Kogi and FCT. It is going to include Kaduna, Niger and Plateau.

“We will have a kind of G6, a group of six including FCT to have a joint development of the boundary areas. It is at its mutual stage but discussions are already on.”

Akinjide affirmed that President Jonathan has give FCT permission to focus on satellite towns, adding that the Ministry would pull out the Department of Satellite towns and turn it into an agency that it originally was.

She said: “We will make it a full-fledged agency so that the Federal Capital Development Agency can focus on the cities while the Satellite Towns Development Authorities can focus on satellite towns.”

She said staff of FCT administration in the satellite experienced heavy traffic, noting that all of them face Abuja cities to go to work.

She added: “For instance, there is always a logjam along the Keffi-Abuja road which is the only road leading to the city centre from Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi, Karshi, Orozo, Kurudu, Gbegi, Gbagalape and other towns like Mararaba and its environs in Nasarawa state who set out to their work places as early as 4.30 am in order to beat the hold up.

“The case is not different with those going to work in the city from as far as Suleija in Niger state through Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja. This is the access road that commuters from Kaduna, Niger states and Zuba, Madala, Deidei, Kubwa, Bwari, Dutse and other satellite towns must pass through to get to their work places in the city centre.

“This enable satellite town to have the same level of infrastructure the cities has in terms if water supply, good roads, sewage systems and street lights among others.

“We can no longer have dormitory towns where people sleep, wake and head to the cities. We have to have towns that are destinations in themselves where people live, sleep, wake up, work, rest and play.”