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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Monday defended his administration’s decision to remove the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), saying the move has unlocked the financial flexibility needed to fast-track critical infrastructure projects and transform Abuja into a modern capital city.
The President said critics had questioned the decision when it was taken, but insisted that the visible transformation across the Federal Capital Territory had vindicated the policy.
“When we pulled the FCT Administration out of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), there were skeptics. There were those who questioned the wisdom of that financial liberation. But we did it because we knew that local administration must have the liquidity, the speed and the corporate flexibility to interface with financial institutions and deliver critical projects without bureaucratic strangulation. Today, the results are glaring,” Tinubu said.
The President spoke while commissioning a new Office Annex for the Body of Benchers and 10 units of four-bedroom staff quarters at the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja. He was represented at both events by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, CON.
Tinubu credited the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, with translating the policy into tangible projects, saying the minister had gone beyond road construction to strengthen key institutions of justice and governance.
He praised Wike for resolving the Nigerian Law School’s long-standing land title challenge by facilitating the issuance of its Certificate of Occupancy after years without formal documentation.
“When I appointed Minister Wike, I gave him a clear mandate to transform Abuja into a modern, functional and world-class capital city. Over the last three years, the scale of infrastructural development, urban renewal and project delivery in the FCT has been unmatched,” he said.
At the commissioning of the Body of Benchers’ Office Annex, Tinubu described the new complex as a symbol of his administration’s commitment to the rule of law, institutional independence and democratic governance.
He dismissed suggestions that providing infrastructure for the judiciary amounted to executive interference, insisting that it was the constitutional responsibility of government to provide the facilities required for the justice sector to function effectively.
“Let me be absolutely clear: the provision of infrastructure for the legal community and the judiciary is not an interference in the independence of another arm of government. Rather, it is a constitutional and collaborative duty of the Executive to ensure that those who interpret and uphold our laws are provided with an environment that fosters operational efficiency and excellence,” he said.
Speaking at the Nigerian Law School, Tinubu said providing decent accommodation for Law School staff was essential to producing competent legal professionals, stressing that “we cannot build a world-class legal system with dilapidated infrastructure.”
He said the newly commissioned staff quarters represented only the first phase of broader investments in the institution, revealing that the Federal Government is funding a new auditorium, constructing additional student hostels and digitising the Law School’s academic and administrative operations.
He disclosed that the Federal Government is funding a new auditorium, additional student hostels and the digitisation of the Law School’s academic and administrative operations, while similar interventions are underway across the justice sector, including the construction of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, magistrates’ courts and residential quarters for judges.
The President said his administration was deliberately strengthening the institutions that sustain democracy rather than merely erecting physical structures.
He maintained that the projects demonstrated the government’s resolve to translate promises into tangible results through sustained investment in key national institutions.
“We promised not just to govern, but to reform. We promised to rebuild the broken structures of our institutional foundations,” Tinubu said.
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Earlier, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike credited the project’s delivery to President Tinubu’s support and the timely release of funds, saying the administration has consistently prioritised initiatives that strengthen institutions of justice.
He recalled that the annex proposal was initiated by former Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Adegboyega Solomon Awomolo, SAN, who appealed for additional office space after the annual budget had been passed. He said he took the request to President Tinubu, who ordered that the project be included in the supplementary budget, and that the National Assembly later approved it.
“Luckily, he prayed very well and Mr. President said, ‘Put it in the supplementary budget.’ That was approved by the National Assembly, and today we are here commissioning the project,” Wike said.
He added that another request from the Body of Benchers to ease traffic congestion around the institution has been addressed with a new road, which the Vice‑President is due to commission.
Wike pledged continued support for justice‑sector institutions and assured the Body of Benchers of the government’s readiness to consider further requests that would enhance its operations.
Earlier, Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Albert Akpomudje, described the new annex as a major intervention that will bolster legal education, professional discipline and the administration of justice. He urged sustained collaboration between government and development partners to protect public infrastructure and improve access to justice.
On her part, FCT Minister of State Dr. Mariya Mahmoud called the staff‑quarters project a strategic investment in legal education and institutional capacity, saying the Nigerian Law School holds a central place in the country’s legal and educational framework.
She described the school as the vital link between academic training and professional practice, responsible for producing generations of lawyers who strengthen Nigeria’s justice system and serve the nation in diverse roles.
Mahmoud said the new accommodation reflects the FCT Administration’s wider commitment to building human capital, improving public service delivery and promoting sustainable national growth.
She added that the project goes beyond providing housing, aiming also to boost staff welfare, raise productivity and create an environment conducive to excellence in teaching, learning and professional formation.
The minister thanked President Tinubu for his commitment to national renewal and institutional strengthening, noting that his Renewed Hope Agenda has prioritised investments in infrastructure and public institutions that advance education, justice and governance.
Mahmoud also praised Wike for his leadership in transforming the capital through roads, public facilities and targeted institutional projects that directly improve the lives of residents and public servants.
She concluded that support for initiatives like the Nigerian Law School staff quarters underlines the administration’s view that genuine development must include worker welfare and the reinforcement of public institutions that serve the common good.
