By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), has celebrated three retired directors for their for their satisfactory, and committed service to humanity and the Administration.
The retirees are Mr Isah Abdullahi, retired Director, Legal Services, Mr Bello Tunau, retired Director, Department of Engineering Design and Evaluation and Mr Adebowale Ademo, retired Director, Public Building,
The Executive Secretary, Mr Shehu Ahmad, at the event in Abuja said that the retirees were being celebrated as members of the FCDA family and for their contributions to the development of the federal capital.
“The FCDA had and has always operated as a family. So, when a family member gets to the terminal point of his career, it is only fair that the family come together and celebrate his exit.”
“The gentlemen we are celebrating today have unblemishly, satisfactorily, and committedly served their father land and have been here for 35 years, knowing nothing other than coming to serve in the FCDA.”
“So, the maximum part of their lives has been spent in service here, and I think there is every cause for everyone to be happy for them, that they have exited honourably and unblemished too,” he said.
Speaking on whether FCDA should be worried about the retirees leaving, the executive secretary said “There’s every cause to worry.”
“This is because, these are gentlemen who have gone through all the rudiments of training and have acquired all the skills and expertise in their various fields that the service needs.”
“But the only good thing about it is that they had, in the course of their service, trained a lot of their subordinates.”
“So, there is a very reasonable succession arrangement, which for us is a comforting thing.”
The Executive Secretary admonished the retirees to float consultancy outfits, make their doors open and their expertise available for the FCDA to consult.
He also advised their successors to learn from their challenges and build on their successes to move FCDA forward.
One of the retirees, Ademo, who spoke to journalists described his years of service in the FCDA as very fulfilling and leaving the service a fulfilled man.
He promised that his doors would be opened to support the development of the federal capital.
“We believe that success without a successor is not good enough.”
“We’ve been very deliberate and intentional in grooming those that we have served together to be able to do the things we have been able to do and even better,” he said.
Another retiree, Abdullahi described his retirement as the best moment of his life, due to the specialised training and expertise acquired in legal drafting.
“I handled a lot of Bills that today are functional in the FCTA.”
“The FCT Internal Revenue Service Law is one of the laws that I saw through and today, it is one of the agencies of the FCTA that is vibrant.”
“There is also the FCT College of Education (COE) Law that established the capital college of education Zuba. and several others.”
“Today we are talking about the FCT Civil Service Commission. It is also one of the laws that I drafted and currently at the verge of being implemented,” he said.
He stressed that such specialised training and skills cannot be taken away from him, adding that it would keep him going through the years of retirement.
The story was not different from Tunau said who said that he had fully prepared for the retirement, adding, “I am a professional so I will continue my practice.”
“There is no idle time anymore; life continues in or out of service, he noted.
