By Emmanuel Yatai

The Ngas Women Development Association (NWODA) has called on its members and all Plateau women to actively participate in politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Mrs Godiya Kitgakka, the National Chairman of NWODA, made the call during the 2026 “Puus Rot Mmat Ngasmwa” celebration on Thursday in Pankshin, tagged “The power of women involvement in politics.”

Kitgakka, who described Plateau women as resilient, supportive and productive, urged them to actively engage in politics ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

She particularly advised women to take the front seat and make a difference in the political eco-system.

“Gone are the days when women will only stay in the background when it comes to politics; the time has come for women to be actively involved.

“Women are in their numbers, they have the potential and capacity to succeed in politics and to contribute to nation-building,” she said.

The president, who called on political parties to give women the opportunity to contest for elective positions, urged President Bola Tinubu and Gov. Caleb Mutfwang to appoint more Plateau women into their governments.

“Plateau women are resilient, loyal, supportive and productive; they will perform excellently when given any assignment,”she added.

Kitgakka described the event as a special day to celebrate Ngas women and chart the way forward for the Ngas nation in general.

She, however, advised Plateau women to unite and promote peaceful coexistence at all times.

She disclosed that the association had so far trained 60 women in different skills, provided soft loans to more than 100 women and donated grinding machines and water pumps to 15 women.

Speaking, Mr. Danjuma Gokum, the National Chairman of the Ngas Development Association (NDA), commended the women’s wing for the initiative aimed at celebrating, empowering and supporting other women to be economically viable.(NAN)

Edited by Polycarp Auta

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has approved the resumption of work on the long-abandoned Utako General Hospital and the renovation and upgrading of 14 other general hospitals across the territory.

The FCT Mandate Secretary for Health and Environmental Services, Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this to journalists after the 19th FCT Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, presided over by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The intervention, she said, would involve the construction and equipping of the Utako hospital, as well as the provision of medical equipment and improvements to existing facilities across the territory.

Reviving Utako hospital

Ms Fasawe said Mr Wike had directed the immediate commencement of work at the Utako General Hospital, which has remained abandoned for years.

She said the intervention would go beyond the construction of the facility to include its equipping and staffing, with the aim of ensuring that the hospital is able to provide healthcare services when completed.

For the 14 existing general hospitals, she said the administration would procure new medical equipment, including X-ray machines and diagnostic materials, while hospital theatres would also be upgraded.

The interventions, according to her, are intended to improve access to reliable and affordable healthcare for residents of the territory.

Ms Fasawe added that the administration had also continued to meet its financial obligations to health insurance providers and health maintenance organisations (HMOs) through the regular payment of premiums and capitation.

Other council decisions

Beyond the health sector, the FCT Executive Council approved several other projects and interventions at the meeting.

The Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Chidi Amadi, said the council considered 20 memoranda presented by various secretariats, departments and agencies.

According to him, the submissions were aimed at advancing infrastructure development and improving public services across the capital.

One of the approvals was the digitalisation of the FCT High Court, covering about 67 courtrooms across its judicial divisions.

The council also approved two contracts for the supply of examination materials to primary, junior secondary and senior secondary school students across the FCT.

The Mandate Secretary for Education, Danlami Hayyo, said the initiative formed part of the administration’s broader efforts to improve public education through facility renovations, better classrooms and continued instructional support.

Mr Hayyo said the improvements had encouraged some parents to transfer their children from private schools to public schools.

The Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD) also secured approval for a N5.703 billion contract for the construction of a 33KV power supply line from Dawaki to Tukulo and surrounding villages in Bwari Area Council.

The STDD Coordinator, Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, said CGC Nigeria Limited was awarded the contract and that the project would be completed within eight months.

The council also ratified two road projects in the satellite towns that had already been completed and commissioned.