Abuja Satellite Towns Development Agency – The duplication of a law

Our attention has been drawn to a bill in process of enactment, for the establishment of Satellite Towns Development Agency (STDA), to be charged with the responsibility for development and defining the boundaries of the satellite towns and related matters. The bill is being sponsored by Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta.  It is worthy of note that […]

Our attention has been drawn to a bill in process of enactment, for the establishment of Satellite Towns Development Agency (STDA), to be charged with the responsibility for development and defining the boundaries of the satellite towns and related matters. The bill is being sponsored by Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta.

 It is worthy of note that rather than being a newly established Agency consequent upon the enactment of the bill presently being sponsored, the Satellite Town Development Agency is already, and conspicuously being in existence since 2004. Thus the rationale behind sponsoring of a fresh bill for its enactment with the same mandate is somehow hazy.

It is pertinent to state that according to the provision of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Act, the responsibility for all planning and development activities in the entire FCT is vested on the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). According to Section 4 (1), (a)-(c), these are: the choice of site for the location of the Federal Capital City (FCC) within the FCT; the preparation of a Master Plan for the FCC and Land use with respect to Town and Country Planning within the rest of the FCT; the provision of municipal services within the FCT; the establishment of infrastructure services in accordance with the Abuja Master Plan and the coordination of activities of all ministries, departments and Agencies of the Government of the Federation within the FCT.

It is in line with the above provision, that the Sixth Schedule in the Subsidiary Legislation of the FCT Act, No. 1 of 2004, which is the STDA, was established. It is an administrative creation and intervention agency of the FCDA. It is charged with the responsibility for planning and development of the satellite towns within the FCT. 

Accordingly, 4 areas are designated as satellite towns in Kuje Area Council, they include; Kusaki/Yanga, Kuje, Rubochi, and Abuja South West. In the Gwagwalada Area Council 5 areas are designated, they are; Anagada, Dobi, Gswagwalada, Zuba and Dei-Dei. For Bwari Area Council there are 2, they are; Kubwa and Bwari. 5 areas are designated in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, these are; Karshi, Gosa, Abuja North-west, Karu and Nyanya. The rest are Abaji and Kwali Area Councils. The law also permits the Minister by regulation to designate any other part of the FCT as satellite town.

    Whether the new bill is successful or not the supervising body shall still be the FCTA, under the FCT Minister. It is true that the STDA has some failures in the delivery of many of its functions. However, these are not to be tied to lack of mandate, but that of adequate funds allocation. This is typical to all Ministries, Boards and Agencies in the country now and for a very long period before. Also, the STDA shall function better under the FCDA which enjoys a National Priority budget arrangement as it is, than any other arrangement similar to the new proposal.

Whatever the new bill would seek to achieve is already covered in the existing law establishing the STDA. Unless the function and powers of the FCDA as enshrined in the provision of the FCT Act section 4 (1), under which the STDA has already been established is going to be repealed, which attract colossal implications, entertaining any bill for the re-establishment of the STDA under any guise shall amount to unnecessary academic activity with the attendant waste of useful resources which should otherwise be utilized for other productive ventures.  

Thus, as it concerns the satellite town’s development, the status quo is adequate and should be maintained. Failure to heed to this advice the National Assembly should be prepared for the attendant junk of confusions that shall be heaped on it. These include bills for the establishment of the Mass Education Agency, the Secondary Education, the Universal Education Board, the ERC and all other FCT Agencies under the Education Secretariat. Also to be re-established are: All Agencies under the Agricultural and Rural Development, Health and Human Services, Social Development and Transportation Secretariats. Yet, others are: the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) Agency, FCT Water Board and many others. It must be reminded that what enable the FCT Administration to establish all these Boards and Agencies which the STDA is inclusive, is the Section 4 (1) provision in the FCT Act.

    It was just last week that the nation was put on alert by this media that 487 Federal Agencies are to guzzle N2 Trillion in the 2017 budget alone. It is in order to address this unnecessary waste that the Federal Government is now working to trim the multiple Agencies with duplication of functions.