BY Francis Ekeh ABUJA

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has directed the chairmen of the six area councils in the territory to strengthen the local vigilante groups in their areas by ensuring that their needs are adequately met.

Wike, who gave the directive at a security town hall meeting with stakeholders and residents of Kwali area council on Tuesday in Kwali town, also requested the council chairmen to provide more motorcycles to the vigilante teams.

He disclosed that his administration has almost concluded plans to procure more security vehicles to be deployed to the area councils to ensure security of life and property.

According to him, “I can assure you that in a matter of days you will be hearing positive stories. We are ready to support our security agencies in whatever they need to ensure that our people can sleep with their two eyes closed.

We have almost concluded procurement of vehicles for security agencies. We are going to provide the councils with motorcycles to support the vigilante teams so that they can get information and assist the security agencies.

“Our youths, we have directed the council chairmen to ensure that the vigilante teams are well taken care of. We need information from you because without information, the security agencies would have little or nothing to do. If you give them information on time, they will make sure that bad things don’t happen”.

On the issue of some bad roads fueling kidnapping, the minister asked the council chairman to recommend two more roads in addition to the earlier ones recommended to the FCT Administration for reconstruction.

Promising that the President Bola Tinubu administration would not abandon the people of FCT, Wike said every year before submitting any budget proposal to the National Assembly, he would meet with traditional rulers and the people to get their inputs by way of getting them to recommend people-oriented projects that can be incorporated into the budget.

“We will not abandon you. We will make sure we develop the Area Councils. Before the end of the tenure of President Tinubu, you will see a lot of infrastructure going on in the Area Councils.

“Every year before we submit our budget to the NASS, we will come to you the traditional rulers and the people to ask you what your infrastructure needs are so that we can include them in the budget.

We won’t abandon any project. If we don’t have the money we won’t embark on any project”, he declared.