Addressing Infrastructural needs in FCT for Grassroots Development




In Nigeria, most rural communities are usually without such basic amenities as road, potable water, electricity, education and primary health, a situation that makes life all the harder for the low-income workers that live in those places. But in some cases, government is making efforts to address some of these needs. In this report, BLESSING BATURE interrogates the contributions of the executive chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Adamu Candido, to community development within the council and his Next-Chapter Agenda.


The availability of basic needs in various communities have attendant economic and social benefits to the people. For instance, the rural dweller requires feeder road to get their farm produce to the markets, electricity is needed to boost petty businesses, while
primary schools should be available to cater for children in the communities. primary health care is needed at the grassroots to care for the people when they are il and portable water supply is equally
required so as to prevent illnesses and to meet household daily needs. All these are the responsibility of the local council.

Since his election in 2016, the chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Adamu Candido, has taken it upon himself to provide the people of his council with basic amenities. A man who understands the terrain of local administration as well as the yearning and aspirations of his people in terms of developmental needs, his administration has recorded remarkable developmental strides in the history of the area council.

From electricity to water supply, education, health care, road construction and market development, he has touched all these sectors in a bid to transform rural communities and give them quality life within the first term of his administration.

He, ushered in his second tenure with the Next Chapter slogan This chupter is a deliberate attemp by the chairman to strongthen infrastructural developaent projects on ground to stand the test of time and also to ensure completion of the ones ongoing while projecting new capital projects to Caption Other communities and villages.

His next chapter is also vigorously pursuing the establishment of school for the gifted, ICTinnovation centre that would harness best brain pupils across the council as well as train women and youths on ICT and other innovative ventures for the purpose of empowerment.

Under his electrification projects, Candido's administration supplied of 800 KVA Generator plant at Area I Shopping Centre and rural electrification scheme at Tungan Madaki Community, Iddo Sarki, Kuchibeyidna Village, Pyakassa Community, Gyipa Village, Kpaduma, Yiyimity Village, Gwari, Karshi, Jiwa Pipeline Street as well as the donation of a 500K VA transformer to each several communities including Karonmagiji, Jiwa, Akaore Road, Karshi, Orozo and Ketti.

In education he equally did well, constructing a block of three classrooms at Wasa Community, furnishing a block of three classrooms at Iddo-Maji, completing and furnishing a block of three classroom at Azhata, etc, Candido's exploits in road infrastructure
include rehabilitating Dutse -Garki access Road, rehabilitating Jiwa access and many more.

He also constructed public conveniences with borehole in Karimo, Angwan Hausawa, Damagaza, Nyanya, VIO, and fenced the cemetery at Gwagwa Village as well as construct primary health care clinic at Mabushi and Karonmagiji and completed one primary health care centre at Damagaza.

It is also noted that amid all these projects, Candido's administration has put in so many innovative institutions such as the AMAC Marshals, Microfinance Bank, AMAC Investment, AMAC community
Radio among others and these institutions, when fully operational, will turn AMAC into an economic viable area council better enough to compete with most states of the federation.

According to the head, Public Relations, AMAC, Mrs Patience Olaloye, the next chapter is a deliberate attempt by the chairman to strengthen infrastructural development for all the wards in the
council. She said no project was cited without consideration of it's benefit to the people, the interest and needs of the community became the basis consideration of its benefit why they were carried along with their representatives.

The council has over 100 villages across the 12 wards which includes: Garki, Gui, Gwagwa, Gwanrinpa, Karu, Karshi. Kbusak, Nyanya, Wuse, Jiwa, Orozo and the City Centre ward.

The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) revenue coordinator, Mr Awaje Danlami, said every administration revolved around the availability of funds and if such funds were not there, it would be difficult to meet the needs of the people. He added that in spite of the allocation and revenue collected, it was difficult to do much in the area of development.

"Sometimes, when we go to collect revenue, some people keep begging and one can see that truly the person has not made any sales."

He said the local governments, which are the ones closer to the people, are not getting adequate funding.
"It is obvious the local government has wide area of revenue generation but the fact remains that the machinery for collection and application is lacking.
"Abuja is faced with a wide range of developmental activities especially with the influx of people daily and they will require healthcare, roads, water, electricity, schools, among others," he said.

Danlami said the council is faced with challenges including inadequate revenue both internally generated and allocation from the federation account and the influx of people into Abuja had led to the
expenditure of the council to increase, coupled with the economic decline.

He added that in other to meet the challenges, the council is focusing on revenue generation in the next chapter such as boosting and optimising existing revenue streams, and "fosteringa culture
of transparency and accountability, and developing a data-driven IGR policy.