MINISTER of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Muhammad Musa Bello has urged residents to embrace unity and avoid unpatriotic activities, especially in the forthcoming general elections.
This was contained in Bello’s Independence Day message on Saturday.
He urged residents to call out sponsors of hate speech and divisive actions, and hold them accountable.
“The dreams of our founding fathers in this regard is, therefore, coming to pass and it is our duty as residents of the FCT to ensure that this dream is kept alive by being constantly vigilant and resisting all attempts by those who wish to divide us from making any success of their unpatriotic activities.
“This is even more so, as the 2023 general elections draw near. While I call on all residents to take their civic responsibilities very seriously at the polls, it is essential that they remain discerning in imbibing all the political messages they will be exposed to as some of them clearly might be intended to cause disaffection within their ranks,” he noted.
Noting that the influx of people into the FCT was putting a strain on amenities, the minister urged residents to handle public facilities with care and desist from vandalising infrastructure.
He also urged residents to report suspicious activities or individuals to relevant authorities and commended security agencies on what he described as the much improved security situation in the Territory.
“The FCT Administration has also been working assiduously with security agencies to safeguard lives and property, which has been yielding very positive results,” he said.
Although the minister noted that security had improved, he said there had been increased concerns among residents following a jailbreak in the FCT by members of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) in July.
Other terror activities have also been carried out in the FCT, including an attack on troops attached to the Presidential Guards Brigade, in which eight soldiers were killed.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.