FCTA Adopts Interim Measures As Waste Collection Contracts Expire

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced fresh procurement processes for the award of contracts for waste collection, evacuation, and disposal in Abuja’s satellite towns.

This was disclosed by the Coordinator of the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD), Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, during a waste evacuation exercise in Karu, under the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

Zulkiflu explained that the tenure of the previous contractors expired in April 2025.

In the interim, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike directed the STDD to begin immediate evacuation of waste in key areas as a stopgap measure to address the rising refuse piles across satellite communities.

“So the main purpose of this waste evacuation is that, you know, initially there has been contracts going on here for the duration of three years. I think the contract was awarded since 2022 and the contract elapsed this year in April.

“We are now carrying out another procurement process for the new award of contracts. And part of the measure that the Honourable Minister said that we should take, is to bridge the gap between the procurement process and the award of new contracts that will come,” he said.

Zulkiflu emphasised that the ongoing evacuation exercise is not being handled by any external contractor but is directly supervised by the STDD.

According to him, the evacuation will continue from the Nyanya axis down to Karshi, with plans to expand the exercise to other Area Councils where similar waste management challenges persist.

“The Honourable Minister instructed me, and has given me the direct order to come and start evacuating the waste across this Nyanya axis down to Karshi. And we are hoping after that, we are still going to look at other Area Councils, because our main function is to intervene in the critical areas in terms of waste evacuation in the satellite towns,” he said.

Zulkiflu also raised concerns over the health implications of unmanaged collection points in the area, while advocating for the possible removal of certain waste dump sites due to their proximity to residential areas and the rapid rate at which they fill up.

He said, “This place is designated for a collection point… But we don’t have enough space. After every one or two minutes, you see people coming here to dump refuse.

“It would be very nice if this kind of place, in fact, if it can be totally removed — that would have gone a long way. But we are going to appeal to the Honourable Minister to look into that, in collaboration with the Area Councils.”

He stressed that any decision must consider the health and well-being of the residents, given the environmental and public health risks posed by the growing dumpsites.

He noted that the FCTA’s renewed efforts aim to tackle the persistent waste management challenges in satellite towns and ensure cleaner, healthier environments for residents while a more sustainable contract-based solution is finalized.

FCTA Adopts Interim Measures As Waste Collection Contracts Expire is first published on The Whistler Newspaper