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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mariya Mahmoud, has said the effectiveness of any government should be judged by the safety, dignity and opportunities it provides for citizens, rather than the authority it wields.
Mahmoud made the declaration at the Resilience in Leadership and Governance Roundtable held on the margins of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly, where she delivered a keynote address on “Catalysing Effective Governance and Human Security.”
The minister said governance must ultimately be measured by its impact on people’s daily lives, including their access to healthcare, education, safe transportation, efficient public services, economic opportunities and participation in decision-making.
She said leadership resilience should not merely be about surviving crises but about ensuring that essential services continue to reach citizens despite disruptions.
“Resilient leadership is more than the ability to endure a crisis; it is the capacity to learn, adjust, and continue delivering essential services without losing sight of the people affected by public decisions,” Mahmoud said.
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On human security, the minister argued that the concept should extend beyond protection from armed conflict, noting that millions of people could remain insecure even in the absence of war.
“A person may be free from armed conflict and still remain deeply insecure because of hunger, illness, unemployment, displacement or the absence of basic services,” she said.
Mahmoud therefore called for sustained investment in infrastructure, healthcare, education, livelihoods and food security, alongside stronger institutions capable of reducing citizens’ vulnerability.
She said governments must focus on addressing the conditions that expose citizens to insecurity, rather than limiting security policy to conventional responses to conflict and crime.
The minister cited developments in the FCT as part of efforts to translate governance into improved living conditions, saying the administration under FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was pursuing infrastructure renewal, transportation, healthcare, water supply, urban development, investment promotion and social interventions.
