The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has urged residents to help the government tackle insecurity by making efforts to know their neighbours.
The Acting Director, Reform Coordination and Service Improvement department of the FCTA, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, made this call at the first Abuja Residents Townhall & Security Summit which was held on Tuesday.
The summit with the theme: “The Cost of Inaction, Bridging the Gaps”, is designed to enable Abuja residents, businesses, and stakeholders to identify, discuss and resolve issues as it affects their daily lives in the FCT.
“The only thing we have emphasised here is for them to know one another. There is this popular saying we used to have in the FCT; ‘know your neighbour, stay safe, stay alive’.
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“If you don’t know your neighbour, if you don’t speak out when you see suspicious movement, how can the government or the security agencies help you?
“So, my advice to residents is to know anybody coming into their environment…if we have this in each of our communities, we will be able to curb security challenges because the government needs information to act,” she stressed.
She encouraged residents to call the FCT call centre toll-free lines to report all emergencies in the capital city.
On his part, Muhammad Khalid, Chiarman, Islamic Research and Da’awa Foundation, challenged residents to show love to one another notwithstanding their religious or ethnic orientations, adding that only love could bridge the gap between them.
While noting that there was a limited number of security operatives in the FCT, Khalid – popularly known as the Digital Imam – said a neighbourhood that is united could help ensure the security of the lives and property of members.
In his opening remark, Jude Ezeobi, the Chairman of the Neighbourhoods, Estates, and Residents Association of Abuja Forum (NERAAF), a non-religious, non-partisan, and not-for-profit forum, said the aim of the summit was to encourage good neighbourliness, adding that only social cohesion could guarantee better security in the FCT.
