The FCT Administration has approved the administrative restructuring of its three mission critical Agencies to inject efficiency into their operations and ensure improved services to all Nigerians especially those residing in the Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT Minister, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar made this disclosure last week, said that the Agencies affected are the Abuja Geographic Information Systems, (AGIS), FCT Water Board and the Satellite Towns Development Agency (STDA).

Dr. Modibbo recalled that the establishment of AGIS was informed by the need to curb manifest problems characterized by land use abuse, forgery, multiple allocations which the agency had been performing but with some organizational weaknesses.

According to him, the EXCO noted that one of the prominent weaknesses is functional overlaps with some departments such as Urban and Regional Planning, Survey and Mapping, Land Administration and Development Control.

His words: "The Administration has observed that for instance, Layout designs and allocation of Beacon Numbers as well as Plot Numbers which are major functions of the Departments of Mapping and Survey and Urban and Regional Planning respectively have been assumed by AGIS, a situation which if allowed to continue, could stifle effectiveness and weaken the administrative structure."

"Henceforth, AGIS will operate as the repository of land and related records in FCT, while the department of Land Administration will operate under the Office of the Minister," he stated.

Dr. Modibbo also disclosed that the new Land Administration Department functions include, Land Allocation, Issuance of Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) and serving as the Secretariat of the Land Use and Allocation Committee.  

On the restructuring of the FCT Water Board, in the new dispensation, the Board will concentrate on its statutory duties of providing potable water and maintenance of related infrastructure.

The Minister directed that henceforth, all water-related capital projects be undertaken by the FCDA Department of Engineering Services which on completion will hand over to FCT Water Board for operation and maintenance.

He also recalled that the Satellite Towns Development Agency was created to accelerate infrastructural development in Satellite Towns of the FCT but had since not received the required recognition as a legal entity by the National Assembly, thereby rejecting budget proposals made for it.

The FCT Administration has reviewed the activities of the Agency against the objectives for which it was set up, and decided that the Agency revert to the Federal Capital Development Authority and operate as Department of Satellite Towns Infrastructure (STI), Dr. Modibbo added.