FCT Minister Kicks Against Autonomy For AGIS

Move by the Senate to initiate autonomy for the Abuja Geographic
Information Systems (AGIS), by making it a full-fledged agency was
opposed, on Thursday, by the authorities of the Federal Capital
Territory Administration (FCTA).

The occasion was the public hearing on a Bill seeking an Act to
Establish the Abuja Geographic Information Systems and another bill
seeking a seeking legal backing for the Federal Capital Territory
College of Nursing and Midwifery. It was organised by the Senate
Committee on Federal Capital Territory ( FCT, Abuja ).

Sponsor of the Bill, Senator Mohammed Hassan Gusau, representing
Zamfara Central in his presentation maintained that the need to
accord AGIS a legal status as an independent agency was long
overdue.

Senator Gusau argued that AGIS as a unit or land department was
finding it increasingly difficult to cope with a myriad of problems
associated with application, processing, allocation and management
of land.

He said: “AGIS as it is now, finds it very difficult to cope
with problems such as unattended applications for land, processing,
multiple allocations, land documents forgeries, inefficient revenue
generation etc.”.

He was, however, countered by the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad
Musa Bello.

Represented by Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital
Territory Administration, Dr Olusade Adesola, the Minister
submitted that rather than create a bogus bureaucracy what was
needed was to strengthen the information technology capacity of
AGIS for effective service delivery.

He said: “Upon an in-depth review of the above-mentioned Bill in
the context of the mandate of the AGIS as a technical Department,
it is our considered opinion that the passage of this Bill will
merely amount to the addition of a bureaucratic layer to Land
Administration system in the FCTA.

“This Distinguished Committee may wish to note that the core
function of the AGIS is to record, store and manage geospatial data
on land and attributes generated by core stakeholders in Land
administration in digital form.

“Accordingly, a passage of this Bill in its current form will
conflict with the roles of existing statutory Departments and may
be rather disadvantageous.

“Furthermore, the responsibilities of AGIS enumerated above,
does not require the establishment of an Agency. Its need would be
better served through strengthening its Information Technology
capability as
currently being done by the FCTA.”

The Honorable Minister of the FCT, however, backed the latter
bill to give the FCT College of Nursing and Midwifery , required
legal instrument.

” Generally, we have carefully perused the entire bill and find
it appropriate,” he said.

Move by the Senate to initiate autonomy for the Abuja Geographic
Information Systems (AGIS), by making it a full-fledged agency was
opposed, on Thursday, by the authorities of the Federal Capital
Territory Administration (FCTA).

The occasion was the public hearing on a Bill seeking an Act to
Establish the Abuja Geographic Information Systems and another bill
seeking a seeking legal backing for the Federal Capital Territory
College of Nursing and Midwifery. It was organised by the Senate
Committee on Federal Capital Territory ( FCT, Abuja ).

Sponsor of the Bill, Senator Mohammed Hassan Gusau, representing
Zamfara Central in his presentation maintained that the need to
accord AGIS a legal status as an independent agency was long
overdue.

Senator Gusau argued that AGIS as a unit or land department was
finding it increasingly difficult to cope with a myriad of problems
associated with application, processing, allocation and management
of land.

He said: “AGIS as it is now, finds it very difficult to cope
with problems such as unattended applications for land, processing,
multiple allocations, land documents forgeries, inefficient revenue
generation etc.”.

He was, however, countered by the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad
Musa Bello.

Represented by Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital
Territory Administration, Dr Olusade Adesola, the Minister
submitted that rather than create a bogus bureaucracy what was
needed was to strengthen the information technology capacity of
AGIS for effective service delivery.

He said: “Upon an in-depth review of the above-mentioned Bill in
the context of the mandate of the AGIS as a technical Department,
it is our considered opinion that the passage of this Bill will
merely amount to the addition of a bureaucratic layer to Land
Administration system in the FCTA.

“This Distinguished Committee may wish to note that the core
function of the AGIS is to record, store and manage geospatial data
on land and attributes generated by core stakeholders in Land
administration in digital form.

“Accordingly, a passage of this Bill in its current form will
conflict with the roles of existing statutory Departments and may
be rather disadvantageous.

“Furthermore, the responsibilities of AGIS enumerated above,
does not require the establishment of an Agency. Its need would be
better served through strengthening its Information Technology
capability as
currently being done by the FCTA.”

The Honorable Minister of the FCT, however, backed the latter
bill to give the FCT College of Nursing and Midwifery , required
legal instrument.

” Generally, we have carefully perused the entire bill and find
it appropriate,” he said.