FCT news

Skill Acquisition Key To Poverty Eradication, FCT Minister

Published

5 years ago

February 10, 2020

Joel Ajayi

Minister of State of Federal Capital Territory FCT Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has identified skills acquisition as the most enduring tool in tackling the twin problem of poverty and unemployment among youths and women.

Aliyu minister made the assertion at the closing ceremony of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), organised by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), on Monday in Abuja.

Represented by the FCT Director of Youth Development, Mrs Hajarat Alayande, the Minister stressed the commitment of ITF to skills acquisition.

She noted that it remained the most viable and sustainable solution to rising unemployment and poverty that had continued to defy the best efforts of government policies and programmes.

Aliyu called on other organisations with similar mandates like the ITF, to come together to develop a pool of Nigerians with diverse skills that would take seize the opportunity of translating Federal Government policies to wealth.

She commended the management of ITF for training more than 18,000 Nigerians in the 2019 Skills Intervention Programme.

She said that the drive to equip as many Nigerians as possible with skills for employability and entrepreneurship, in order to create jobs and reduce poverty, was in line with ITF’s mandate and the policy objectives of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Earlier, the Director-General, ITF, Mr Joseph Ari, pledged the commitment of the organisation in uplifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

Ari disclosed that other upcoming programmes would also turn the fortunes of a number of the beneficiaries and other intervention being implemented by the ITF

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FCT news

FCT Cleaners Urge Minister Wike to Intervene Over Months of Unpaid Salaries

Published

3 weeks ago

May 13, 2025

The Gleamer

Over 4,500 cleaners working across Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including city cleaners, hospital sanitation workers, satellite town cleaners, and security personnel, have made a passionate appeal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the non-payment of their salaries for the past six to eight months.

The affected workers, who play a critical role in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene across the FCT, including hospitals and public spaces, expressed their deep frustration and hardship due to the prolonged delay in their payments.

Despite working tirelessly under harsh weather conditions to ensure that Abuja and its environs remain clean and habitable, they say their efforts have gone unrewarded.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja, the cleaners voiced their disappointment, describing the situation as dire and unsustainable.

Many of them are reportedly struggling to meet basic needs, including food, medical expenses, school fees, and loan repayments.

“We are using this medium to appeal to our amiable FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to urgently intervene and ensure our outstanding salaries are paid.

“We are going through untold hardship. We work day and night, even in dangerous and unhygienic conditions, yet we are not being paid.”

Another affected worker, who asked to remain anonymous, tearfully shared her experience: “We may be doing a ‘dirty job,’ but we do it with all our hearts. It is unfair that we are left unpaid. We are dying in silence—no food for our children, no money for healthcare. We beg the Honourable Minister to come to our aid.”

The cleaners, in their numbers, emphasized that their appeal was not just a demand but a desperate cry for help from workers who feel neglected despite their vital contributions to the FCT’s public health and cleanliness.

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