FCTA dismisses claims of court order on environmental levies

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has denied reports claiming that a court order stopped environmental sanitation and food safety enforcement activities across Abuja.

The clarification was made on Thursday by the Public Health Department of the FCTA through the Legal Officer of the Health and Human Services Secretariat, Idris Suleiman. The administration said the information circulating in some quarters was false and created a wrong impression about the court ruling.

According to the department, the court order came from Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court in relation to a case involving H-Medix Pharmacy Limited against the FCTA Health and Human Services Secretariat and six other parties.

The administration explained that the ruling only affected matters connected to the applicant in the case and did not stop the activities of the Public Health Department across the Federal Capital Territory.

The department said reports claiming that all environmental health enforcement operations and food safety court sittings had been suspended were misleading and should be ignored by residents and business owners.

FCTA officials stated that environmental monitoring, public health enforcement and prosecution of offenders were still ongoing in different parts of Abuja. They added that all offices under the department remained open and fully operational despite the reports making the rounds online.

The administration also said it would continue carrying out its duties to protect public health and maintain environmental standards in the nation’s capital. According to the department, efforts to ensure compliance with sanitation and food safety regulations remain active and would not be affected by the court matter involving the pharmacy company.

Residents were advised not to panic or rely on unverified information regarding the enforcement activities of the Public Health Department, as the administration insisted that normal operations were continuing without interruption.