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• pledges unprecedented mobilisation of traditional rulers, communities for president’s re-election
Etsu of Kwali, His Royal Highness, Luka Ayedoo Nizassan III, has pledged unprecedented political support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, declaring that residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are ready to reward the administration for its development strides.
The monarch said Tinubu had done more for the FCT in three years than previous administrations, particularly in infrastructure, recognition of indigenous communities, civil service reforms and the elevation of traditional institutions.
Nizassan, who spoke on behalf of the Council of Chiefs in Kwali Area Council at a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Kwali on Monday, said traditional rulers and their subjects would mobilise massively to ensure the President’s return to office.
He said the four greater chiefs, 15 district heads and representatives of communities across Kwali were already committed to the political movement.
“You will agree with me that the FCT has never had it this good. In 2023, when Nigerians went out to elect political leaders who would lead the country for four years, Kwali was able to deliver for Mr President.
“Despite that, the President and Commander-in-Chief gave us opportunities we had never had. Within three years, the President has done what previous administrations could not achieve for us. We want to thank Mr President,” he said.
Addressing the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and other dignitaries, the monarch said the Tinubu administration had given previously marginalised indigenous communities greater recognition and opportunities to participate in national affairs.
He cited the appointment of one of their own, identified as Honourable Disalo, to a strategic national board, describing it as unprecedented in the history of the community.
Nizassan also credited Wike with championing reforms that established a full-fledged civil service for the FCT, saying the development had created opportunities for indigenous people to rise to senior positions.
He cited the appointment of Florence Okonkwo as Permanent Secretary in the Transportation Secretariat and an indigene of Kwali as Acting Director of Works as evidence of the benefits of the reforms.
“Today, we have a civil service with promising career opportunities, a civil service that allows our people to rise to the highest levels of the career structure. For this, we are grateful,” he said.
On infrastructure, the traditional ruler listed the Dr Ladi Kwali Road, Sukuku-Yangoji Road, A2-Pai, Pai-Gwagwalada, Gwagwalada-Dafa and Dafa-Yangoji roads among projects that had improved connectivity in Kwali and neighbouring communities.
He said the projects, including ongoing construction works, would eventually connect all 10 political wards in the area council to the central ward and the FCT city.
According to him, the completion of the Kwali-Yangoji Road would further link communities that had remained disconnected for years.
The monarch also praised the administration’s revenue and tax reforms, claiming that the FCT’s internally generated revenue had increased from about N9 billion to more than N40 billion.
He said the improved revenue base had strengthened the financial capacity of the area councils, enabling them to clear salary arrears, construct roads and undertake development projects.
Nizassan further commended Tinubu and Wike for upgrading traditional rulers in the FCT, saying his elevation to first-class status had restored the dignity of traditional institutions and enhanced their recognition nationally.
He disclosed that his appointment, which had experienced delays, eventually received presidential approval under the Tinubu administration.
According to him, the elevation had also given FCT traditional rulers greater access to national platforms, including the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, where he had served on more than six committees.
“You have restored the dignity of the people of the FCT and placed us in a vantage position to relate with our counterparts across the country.
“Today, we are recognised among traditional institutions in Nigeria. Personally, I have served in more than six committees of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria because of this promotion,” he said.
Explaining the monarchs’ decision to support Tinubu’s second-term bid, Nizassan described politics as a relationship of demands and reciprocal obligations, arguing that the administration had responded to requests made by communities during town hall meetings, project commissioning ceremonies and groundbreaking events.
He said the people now had a responsibility to reciprocate the government’s interventions through electoral support.
“Politics is a game of demand and supply. It was in this town hall that we made demands. At commissioning grounds and groundbreaking events, we made demands, and those demands have been met. It is our turn to supply.
“Be reassured that we are making a commitment this afternoon that, by the grace of God, we are behind the President, and we will throw our weight behind him like we have never done for any president. He has done his part, and it is our turn to do our part,” he declared.
The Etsu Kwali also defended Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing them as courageous decisions taken in the national interest despite the initial criticism they attracted.
He said the President had demonstrated the political will to take difficult decisions aimed at repositioning the economy and securing the country’s long-term development.
The monarch commended Tinubu and Wike for bringing traditional rulers and communities across the FCT under the Rainbow Coalition platform, saying the initiative had provided an avenue for greater unity, engagement and collective participation in the political process.
