FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has warned that Abuja’s unique status as Nigeria’s political and diplomatic hub requires a nationally coordinated approach to security and governance, ruling out autonomous administration like other states.
Defending the FCT’s ₦1.78 trillion 2025 budget before Senate committees, Wike stressed that the presence of the Presidency, National Assembly and foreign missions makes conventional state administration impossible.
“You cannot talk about autonomy in a city where the President resides, where the Inspector-General of Police and every corporate head operate from,” he stated, revealing collaborations with security agencies to address the capital’s complex challenges.
The minister blamed bureaucratic sabotage for failed projects like the non-functional CCTV system, noting “sometimes it’s internal politics, sometimes outright sabotage.”
His proposed budget allocates 85% of capital expenditure to complete abandoned projects dating back to 2010, emphasizing that “what matters is not who awarded a project, but who completes it.”
Healthcare upgrades include newly procured MRI and CT scanners, while 19 days have been set aside to commission projects across satellite towns.
Wike recounted Nigeria’s embarrassment during a recent ECOWAS event at the dilapidated International Conference Centre, vowing to transform the facility to reflect Nigeria’s continental stature.
Senate Committee Chairman Ibrahim Bomai praised the FCT’s 85% budget performance, calling the 2025 proposal “clearly a budget of consolidation.”
Leave a comment