Insecurity: FCTA restricts POS operators to commercial areas

On Wednesday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) gave point-of-sale (POS) operators the order to limit their operations to the nation’s capital’s commercial districts only.

Umar Shuaibu, the Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), gave the order during a press conference.

According to him, the administration would not permit POS operators to unauthorised occupy sensitive spaces that were not intended for commercial use.

According to Umar, the operators’ indiscriminate behaviour was endangering security and would no longer be tolerated.

According to Shuaibu, the Abuja Master Plan was strategically organised to include the concept of a neighbourhood, which will bring all services closer to the populace.

” We have neighborhood centres and city centres, all of these centres have commercial areas, so whatever someone needs within the neighbourhood provided is available,” he said.

Umar added that there was no need to take over the streets, adding,” that was how the master plan was designed.

“Financial services are brought closer to the people because of the CBN cashless policy that is why we have PoS operators, let there be sanity.

“However, there are challenges, the point of sales operators do not operate in the areas that they were supposed to operate, according to the provision of the master plan.

“We have commercial centres, plazas, markets, supermarkets and filling stations, these are areas for commercial activities.

“So, the PoS operators have to liaise with owners of these properties for their services, this is in line with international best practices.

“Henceforth, all PoS operators must relocate to commercial areas and liaise with the premises’ owners, where their services are needed. This will help checkmate insecurity,” he added.

Umar said that the minister of FCT, Alhaji Musa Bello had directed that ensure that all illegal PoS operators should relocate to the appropriate areas.

Collaborating, Mr Ihkaro Attah, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, said the administration was fully in support of the POS activities.

He said they were fully in support of the CBN cashless policy but they were concerned with the security measures.

Attah said that FCT minister particularly frowned at those who unlawfully sited their POS outlets in areas that could jeopardise security.

He said that while the enforcement team would not be concerned with operators who limit their activities within commercial places, those who constituted a nuisance and a security threat would be removed.

According to him, the minister was not opposed to POS business, but kicked against indiscriminate operations that adversely affected the security of the residents.

Attah said:”There are complaints by the residents that strange people were indiscriminately operating POS within their gates and streets

” We support POS business, but frown at those operations that threaten security of our people.” (NAN)