Social service benefits for FCT residents
The decision of the FCT Administration (FCTA) to embark on the rehabilitation of destitute and persons with disabilities across the territory has generated mixed reactions.
Such reactions continue to trail the introduction of social services reforms by the FCTA Social Development mandate secretariat, which also includes the arrest of commercial sex workers in the FCT.
It will be recalled that the FCTA Social Development mandate secretariat had released certain social services initiatives aimed at enabling destitute and abandoned persons and such commercial sex workers to be trained to be economically and financially dependent.
Towards this end, residents have commended the secretariat for its efforts to rehabilitate repentant sex workers by providing them with sewing machines and other meaningful engagements after they were given some formal training.
Many FCTA residents were sceptical when such a decision was taken by the FCTA to ensure that disabled persons were taken to rehabilitation centres, while sex workers were taken off the streets and given necessary training and financial incentives to be economically independent. Some people praised the idea while others expressed reservations and called for more details regarding the issue.
Those enthusiastic about the project have said that if the tempo is sustained, the nation’s federal capital will be properly sanitised and will soon take its strategic place in the tourism world map.
The mandate secretariat is also partnering, supervising and collaborating with some stakeholders to rehabilitate many children from poor families.
Further, the secretariat has established and managed five community board vocation rehabilitation centres at Zuba, Afiwaye, Karmajiji, Karu and Apo.
Similarly, the department is also involved in various awareness campaigns in the prevention, treatment and cure of pandemic diseases such as HIV, AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Abandoned babies across the FCT are also being taken care of.
Therefore, this effort is commendable and a welcome idea by the social development secretariat under its Mandate Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu Masari.