Insecurity: Register With Social Secretariat, Profile Guests – FCTA Orders Hotel Operators

• Warns about brothel business in Abuja

BY EDMOND ODOK – Determined to improve the level of security and safety and security for residents and visitors to Abuja, the nation’s capital, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has ordered all hospitality and tourism establishments to immediately register and be licenced with its Social Development Secretariat (SDS).

Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu, who announced the directive at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, said the establishments involved include hotels, guest inns, apartments, and houses among others.

Speaking on the enforcement of the FCT Contravention on Violation of Land Uses by the operators of the hospitality industry, Shuaibu said the AMMC discovered that many of the owners of the hospitality industry operating in the territory are not known to the FCT administration.

He said most hotel owners operate without following the appropriate procedure of acquiring all necessary approvals from the relevant agencies of the administration, adding; “This is not proper because no organisation can operate in a place without getting approval from the government.

“The FCT Administration has observed with great concern that some random persons altered their land use from the initial approved purpose to hospitality purposes. Many of these contraventions are residential quarters that were converted into hotels and brothels etc. These constitute security challenges in the entire territory”.

Shuaibu said it has also become imperative for every hospitality operator in Abuja to profile all guests and visitors with a “verifying app”, noting that the administration identified many criminal elements disguising themselves and checking into some hospitality services as guests before and after carrying out their nefarious activities.

According to him; “Therefore, it has become imperative for the FCT Administration to close all the loopholes in order to deal with all security challenges that have now become a daily occurrence not only in the capital city but the nation at large.

“Operators willing to comply and any intending ones are to use the available window of proper registration with the Social Development Secretariat. At the end of the day, they will be the facilitators of their safety and everyone.

“It is not business as usual for those who have formed the habit of breaking the extant laws of the FCT. They should know that there is no hiding place for them. They will henceforth be prosecuted accordingly”.

Also addressing the issue, the Director in charge of the FCTA Development Control Department, Mukhtar Galadima, warned that the department would invoke the Urban and Regional Planning Law to deal with the recalcitrant operators.

He also assured that the Department would collaborate with the security agencies and all relevant secretariats in the territory to ensure enforcement and compliance with the new regulatory guidelines.

The Director further said; “This time around, we want to deal with this issue differently by way of prosecution at the Urban and Regional Planning Tribunal because it is not going to be business as usual. We will strengthen collaboration with the security agencies, the judiciary, and other institutions within the FCT Administration.

“We are going to serve them the final notice as regards compliance with the provision of land use and Abuja Master Plan”.

Meanwhile, as part of measures to enforce the directives, the AMMC Coordinator, accompanied by other top FCTA management staff, went around the city with the officials distributing notice letters to all hotels, guest inns, and houses as well as brothels.

One of the officials confirmed that the development was meant to appropriately inform the industry operators of the new policy which is expected to take effect later this month. – With additional NAN reports