FCT Orders AEPB to Remove Hawkers from Pedestrian Bridges

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello has directed the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the FCT Task Team on Environment to stop hawkers from using pedestrian bridges for their activities in the Federal Capital Territory.

Bello gave this directive when he paid an unscheduled visit Friday to pedestrian bridge in Lugbe, a village along the Airport Road.

He warned that hawking and other activities are not acceptable on the pedestrian bridges across the territory and called for stern enforcement.

The minister reiterated that such bridges were constructed for easy movement and passage of residents crossing the highways but not meant for hawking, begging or for other nuisances and therefore a stop must be put to it forthwith.

He said that the Administration was not prepared to take excuses anymore; saying that AEPB must carry out its statutory duty.

Bello also instructed that the AEPB and the Task Team must also get rid of herdsmen still grazing in the Federal Capital City; noting, “you must find a way in dealing with that bizarre situation”.

The Minister seized that opportunity to talk to the crowd gathered around the pedestrian bridge on why people should not use such places as shopping malls.

He told them that pedestrian bridges were also not constructed for miscreants and further warned that all activities must be very far away from the expressway ways.

“These expressways are the gateway into the Federal Capital City and the seat of power of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and therefore everything must be done to keep Abuja clean from all environmental nuisances in line with the vision of its founding fathers,” Malam Bello stressed.

The Director of AEPB Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olanipekun and the Chairman of the FCT Task Team on Environment, Squadron Leader Abdullahi Adamu Monjel, accompanied the Minister on the unscheduled visit.