Grant FCT Minister Status Of Governor

The National Assembly has been urged to grant the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory the status of a governor.

A Former Commissioner for Environment in Akwa Ibom State, and spokesperson for the CABUL network, a developmental group, Dr. John Harry endorsed the move at a news conference in Abuja.

‘This appeal echoes the demand previously made by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, during his appearance before the House of Representatives Committee on FCT, where he advocated such recognition.

“Wike, in advocating for the approval of the N1.1 trillion 2024 budget proposal, emphasized the need for discretionary powers to utilize funds under the “security vote” scheme.”

Dr. Harry cited the precedence set by the status of Abuja as equivalent to that of a state and affirming the appropriateness of aligning the minister’s privileges with those of state governors.

“Now, let us refer to the last general election and the submission that came out of the Supreme Court. What we found out was that Abuja has the status of a state.

“So, if he is asking for the privileges that the governors have in the state, it is not misplaced but rather the right path to follow, so we fully support his request to be able to achieve this,” he said.

Dr. Harry lauded Wike for his efforts in implementing sectoral, infrastructural, and developmental reforms in the FCT, emphasizing the network’s commitment to supporting transparent governance and developmental initiatives.

“The minister should be commended; for the first time in the administration of the FCT, he has brought back an effective administration structure for the FCT.

“Now we have permanent secretaries who are overseeing the sectors in the FCT, and we also have the mandate secretary and the head of service for the FCT.”

According to him, this demonstrated his desire to effectively run a transparent government.

“We cannot just oppose the government but must also commend it when necessary. There comes a time when we have to synergise as a development group to support the government.

“Wike has been building structures that will endure in the FCT, so when people talk about removing him, I think it is highly political”.

“We don’t want to deal with political issues; we want to deal with developmental issues. There have been indications in the last few days that he is a very focused leader and has resilience.

He praised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to appoint Wike as the FCT Minister and encouraged him to remain steadfast in restoring the Abuja master plan despite challenges, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the original design to achieve sustainable development.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji