The Management of the Development Control Department of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration is looking to give the department a more people friendly outlook, rather than the hostile government agency it has been erroneously portrayed to be.
The Director of the Department, TPL Mukhtar Galadima, made this known on during the kickoff of the 2023 intra-departmental football tournament of the department held in Abuja, Nigeria.
Galadima said the tournament was an opportunity to change the narratives, as development control is not just about demolitions and enforcements, but also about engagements, friendliness and family bonding.
According to the director, the tournament is also an opportunity to promote the physical fitness of its staff to enable them effectively carry out their functions.
In his words, “As development control department, it is not always about demolition, sometimes, you also talk about recreation. That’s why we’re doing this.
“We also want our men to keep fit and as you can see from the artistry display of the footballers, we have seen players that can make a very good team for the nation.
“Right now, we are trying to change the narratives. Development control is not just about demolitions and enforcements, it is also about engagements, friendliness and family bonding. So that’s why we are trying to reiterate it with this football tournament.”
Galadima, while stressing on the importance of sports said, “Sport plays a very important role in our activities but apart from that, we also include medical outreach. We make sure that all staff are tested to find their health stakes and well-being, then before the end of the year, award and price giving.
“As I said, in the beginning of the match that this is a family affair, not a do or die, that we must win at all costs, so that we don’t go and injure ourselves.
“We also have a policy in the department where we come out for fitness every end of the month and we walk around zone six, which is where our own office is located, and then after that we do some aerobics.
On whether the department was putting demolition on hold till after the tournament, the Director said each activity is independent of the other.
“This one is something else, and that’s something else and none of them stops each other.
“Is the second edition of the intra-departmental football tournament to mark the end of year activities. Towards the end of every year, we have series of activities to give glory to God that the year is ending on a good note. So that’s why we try to find time to relax and unwind.
“We are also trying to expand this type of recreational activities and make it wider to be inter-dependental within the FCT Administration setup, as well as the FCDA setup. So that there will be a kind of friendliness amongst staff. For now, it is us and us alone which consists of six divisions”.
