FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has announced that a total of 74 Directors from the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA and Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA have retired upon reaching the age of 60 or completing 35 years of service.
Wike expressed gratitude for their service and stated that despite their retirement, their wealth of experience and expertise will still be utilized to propel growth and development in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
The acting Permanent Secretary of FCTA, Udom Atang who represented the minister expressed optimism that the wealth of experience of the retirees would be of great value to the administration.
He said that the batch of the retirees were among the earliest staff of the FCTA and FCDA, and, therefore, played crucial roles in building Abuja from scratch to its current state.
He said that because of their institutional knowledge and experience, the FCTA would be reaching out to them for in-house training to coach and mentor the younger ones.
“Nobody can do it better than those “who have been here before.”
The minister restated the FCTA’s commitment to improve welfare of staff under the “Renewed Hope” agenda of the current administration.
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Also, the acting Director of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, commended the retirees for dedicating a significant portion of their lives to public service.
“These directors have exhibited exemplary leadership, dedication, and professionalism throughout their tenure, serving as beacons of integrity and commitment to the welfare and progress of the FCTA.
“Their unwavering dedication has contributed to the advancement of our administrative processes, the implementation of crucial policies, and the successful execution of numerous projects that have transformed the landscape of the FCT,” Ahmadu said.
Some of the retirees who spoke to journalists on the sideline of the event encouraged those still in service to build on their achievements for accelerated growth and development of the territory.
One of them, Dr. Matthew Ashikeni, urged those in service to focus more on adding value to the system, rather than what they can gain from it.
Ashikeni, who retired as Director of special Duties at the FCT Health and Environment Secretariat, also tasked the government to invest more in primary health care to attain universal health coverage.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 74 retirees bowed out of service in the third and fourth quarter of 2023.
