A Development Agenda for the New Sheriff in FCT By Juliet Agoyi
The Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, has seen it all in politics and public service. He has managed to remain relevant at the highest level of politicking since the return of democracy in 1999, serving as local government chairman of Obi Akpor, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Minister of State for Education, Governor of Rivers State, and now Minister.
He has over the years carved a niche for himself as a restless performer, a no-nonsense game changer who says it and does it, not minding who is happy or hurt by his statements and actions.
He adds a lot of drama and theatrics to his public shows and he would have probably made a decent career in Nollywood or PMAN if he didn’t attend Law School.
As a chieftain of the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Wike fought a robust battle to clinch the presidential ticket last year but lost to last-minute power games. That experience signaled the beginning of his crisis with the party’s leadership and also the G5 and all the drama that followed.
But that is not the reason President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him to take charge of the FCT. His track record in terms of infrastructural projects – buildings, roads, and bridges – which earned him the nickname “Mr. Infrastructure” also earned him the ministerial slot. Former President Muhammadu Buhari also honored Wike with an award to celebrate his knack for erecting world-class projects in Rivers State.
On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of Abuja residents are of the view that since Nasir El-rufai left as Minister many years ago, the city has progressively declined. The FCT has in recent years deteriorated rapidly with a lack of street lights, insecurity, infrastructural decay, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and distortion of its master plan among other challenges.
Wike therefore has his job cut out for him and thankfully, he has hit the ground running and has been delivering the kind of sound bites that show that redemption is near.
Street Lights
It is indeed embarrassing to admit that as important as the FCT is to the country, something as basic as street lights is an issue of concern even in the Central Business District and other parts of the city center. The street lights are either dead or non-existent.
At night, most parts of the city are in total darkness and this doesn’t encourage proper night life which comes with economic gains.
This shameful darkness also encourages all manners of crimes like robberies in some places.
The new Sheriff in the town must prioritize the issue of lighting up the city.
Infrastructure
The Minister didn’t just get the title of “Mr. Infrastructure” for nothing, he earned it due to his knack for putting together world-class roads, flyovers, and buildings. Abuja needs Wike’s Midas touch, hence his appointment.
High Cost of Rent
The rising cost of house rents has reached alarming heights. Some houses are extremely low in standard and yet prices are so high.
As the guardian of FCT’s well-being, his tenure is viewed as an opportunity to alleviate this financial burden by exploring innovative ways to make housing more affordable for residents.
This is because the cost of rent in the city center forces workers to live in the satellite areas, leaving empty buildings in the former and causing congestion in the latter, and also putting pressure on the roads connecting both.
The Minister can in conjunction with stakeholders explore the idea of getting landlords to accept rents on a monthly or quarterly basis. Governor Raji Fashola tried it in Lagos and he didn’t succeed. I hope Wike can succeed in FCT.
Land Grabbing
Another pressing concern that has long plagued the FCT is the issue of land grabbing. It requires immediate attention.
Residents hope that the new minister will enforce stringent measures to protect landowners’ rights and ensure transparent land allocation processes.
Distortion of FCT Master Plan
The FCT master plan has suffered from unwarranted distortions, affecting the city’s organized and methodic growth. Wike is expected to take up the task of preserving and restoring the original vision of the FCT layout, ensuring it remains a model for urban planning and renewal.
Multiple Taxation
While all states including the FCT need money and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is the way to go, over-taxing Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in an already difficult economy is counter-productive. For years now, small businesses in the city have been complaining of different agencies coming to harass them for taxes, all manners of taxes that suffocate their businesses.
MSMEs are the major drivers of economies worldwide and the FCT Minister must work on ensuring that they are not killed by multiple taxes by countless agencies who claim to work for the same Ministry.
Mass Transit Scheme
The FCT transportation system yearns for transformation. And that is meant to put it mildly. A proper transportation system doesn’t exist in the FCT at all and this is a huge setback for a city of this status.
Residents hope that under Wike’s guidance, a comprehensive, affordable, and well-organized mass transit system like that of the El-rufai era will reemerge, connecting the city seamlessly and reducing congestion.
There is also the pressing issue of thugs harassing private car owners when they stop at certain places to pick up or drop off someone. They jump into the car without permission, harass them for large sums, or even steal from them.
There should be an organized pattern to handle places that are out of bounds for private car owners and app-based cab drivers.
The irony of it all is that in the absence of a government-enabled mass transit scheme, it is the same private car owners that are responsible for taking 80 percent of FCT residents to and from work every day, though they sometimes charge a fee which they use to augment their huge expenditure on fuel. It is this same car owner that thugs of different kinds intimidate, bully, and extort at will.
The new Minister must find a way to not only restore the mass transit scheme to the city, must also restore sanity to the management of parks and bus stops. FCT is gradually turning into an ungoverned space with all manners of touts and non-state actors running the show and calling the shots.
Indiscriminate Dumping of Refuse
Environmental concerns loom large, with the indiscriminate dumping of refuse tarnishing the city’s landscape and sanity.
In recent years, the irritating sight of dirty streets littered with refuse is no longer news as the refuse-clearing system sometimes collapses completely.
Wike must ensure that the companies engaged to clear refuse in the FCT do not find any reason to stop work as that is the only way the city can sustain the decency that is befitting of its status.
The FCT should ordinarily be the safest city in Nigeria and one of the safest in the world considering that it is the home of the President. But the reality is the city is one of the most insecure states in the country at the moment. This is because ‘one-chance’ robberies, knife-point robberies, car snatching, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality have taken over the city and it is getting worse daily. FCT residents can no longer stay at bus stops or under bridges without getting killed or injured by robbers who operate unhindered with sharp knives.
Wike should consider implementing comprehensive measures such as enhancing police presence in strategic places, improving intelligence gathering, investing in surveillance technology, collaborating with neighboring states for coordinated security efforts, and engaging communities to create a safer environment.
The expectation is for him to prioritize the safety and well-being of FCT residents by addressing crime and ensuring effective law enforcement that metes out punishment to offenders and sends the right signals that crime doesn’t pay.
In a nutshell, Wike has his job cut out for him because the FCT he is coming to meet is almost an empty shell, no thanks to the sheer incompetence of his predecessor who unfortunately spent eight wasted years in office. But the President trusts Wike to fix the mess the FCT has become. FCT residents too believe he can replicate the Port Harcourt magic in the federal capital city.
Reckless demolitions without following due process or court orders should not be Wike’s priority. Demolitions should only be done if the buildings pose serious dangers to the master plan and safety as well as the sanity of the city. Avoidable demolitions that render people homeless and wretched should be deemphasized as that can make the very bad security situation worse.
The Minister should also avoid targeting political enemies in his demolition plans. Everything should be done in the interest of the city and the country, not in the fulfillment of personal vendetta.
There is no doubting the fact that Wike is a reformer par excellence and the FCT residents are about to witness interesting times under his competent watch. But former President Olusegun Obasanjo said decades ago that “all reforms in government must come with a human face.”
In doing all he has to do, Wike should work with the above time-tested admonition of the elder statesman.
May the new Sheriff in the FCT succeed.
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