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• Says 70% of FCT completed projects were long abandoned contracts of 16 years
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has branded recent allegations linking the President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to a ‘fictitious’ government agency as rubbish and madness, insisting the claims were designed to embarrass the government.
“Without prejudice, I know the Chief of Staff very well. He did not do it,” Wike said during his monthly media parley in Abuja. “If you want to embarrass any government, these are the targets, the Chief of Staff and the Secretary to Government. Does it make sense that an agency that does not exist, he will tell him to give him so, so amount of money? It’s madness. If the young man (Prince Mathew Adeniyi) knows that it’s correct, why is he running away? How can you come out to make such a statement and then run away?” the minister queried.
Wike urged Nigerians to disregard opposition calls for politicians to join the independent probe panel set up by President Bola Tinubu, describing such demands as political theatre that risks undermining the formal investigation. He asked the public to allow the panel to carry out its work without interference.
While addressing the political controversy, Wike also reiterated that the FCTA’s exit from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has unlocked fresh funding avenues for Abuja’s development, allowing the administration to use its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as collateral for commercial loans. He said the reform, approved by President Tinubu, and tighter revenue controls have seen monthly IGR rise from about N9 billion in 2023 to roughly N40 billion in 2026.
“When we came on board, our IGR was a mere N9 billion a month. As I speak to you today, our IGR is about N40 billion. These are the benefits of exiting the TSA,” Wike said, adding that the stronger cash flow has financed a flurry of projects — from water schemes and school renovations to the resumption of stalled hospital works.
He also warned of a zero-tolerance approach to encroachments on new assets, announcing task forces to clear illegal markets and reclaim parks converted to private uses. He said the administration has restructured its budget to prioritise capital expenditure and has cleared arrears owed to contractors to ensure timely project completion.
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Meanwhile, Wike has said roughly 70 per cent of the projects completed by the FCT Administration under President Bola Tinubu were contracts awarded 15 to 16 years ago and left abandoned.
He said the administration deliberately prioritised finishing inherited projects before launching new ones in line with President Tinubu’s directive that no viable government project should be abandoned.
“The President said we can’t abandon old projects. While we cannot abandon old projects, we must also carry out new ones,” Wike said. He said about 60 per cent of the projects executed in the last three years were originally awarded 15 to 16 years ago but had been abandoned, and that the administration has since completed not less than 70 per cent of those works.
The minister argued that completing the abandoned contracts prevented waste of public resources and ensured residents received critical infrastructure. He also said the FCT Administration has started new road and infrastructure projects across Abuja and its satellite towns while continuing to finish inherited works.
Wike credited the acceleration of development to President Tinubu’s support, notably the decision to remove the FCT Administration from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), a move he said improved access to funds for infrastructure delivery.
He said the administration will persist with projects intended to improve transportation, open up new districts and enhance the quality of life for residents of the Federal Capital Territory.
