The Hon. Minister of the FCT Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has received handover notes from the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, signaling a new chapter in the administration of the FCT.

Receiving the handover notes at the FCDA Conference Room in Abuja on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, Barrister Wike thanked the FCTA Permanent Secretary for taking the initiative to organize the handover ceremony and provide the Minister and Minister of State an opportunity to address FCTA workers.

During the event which was attended by senior management staff of the FCTA, the FCT Minister reiterated that the FCT Administration under his charge will focus on short, medium and long-term goals that will bring development in the FCT, in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

On the short-term goals, the new FCT Minister restated that the issue of street lights, waste management, mass transportation and environmental sanitation would be given immediate attention.

In the medium and long term plans however, Wike said the FCT Administration will address the issue of proliferation of shanties, land racketeering, violation of the Abuja masterplan, infrastructure development, procurement issues among others.

 He therefore charged senior officials of the FCT Administration to work hard and do their jobs effectively and efficiently, insisting that lapses will no longer be tolerated in the FCT.

The Minister equally charged the staff to always do the right thing at all times, saying leadership requires that decisions must be made in every situation even when it is inconvenient.

He said, “This job is not a likable job. It’s not a job that people will like you. It’s a job that people will hate you because you are doing the right thing. But at the end of the “day, they will come to love you”.

Speaking on infrastructure development, Barrister Wike stated that the FCT Administration will consider the availability of  resources before embarking on any infrastructural project, adding that no project will be abandoned under his tenure as the FCT Minister.

He said, “I don’t do anything called abandoned project. I’m not a party to abandoned project. Any project that has no cash backing will not be awarded. There must be money and I know that money has been provided for this project. And I don’t do a project that will take me more than one year.

The FCT Minister however clarified the misconceptions that his administration’s deliverables were aimed at making life difficult for FCT residents, assuring that difficult decisions will only be made to improve the lot of Nigerians in the FCT.

Earlier in her remarks, the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, congratulated the FCT Minister on his deserving appointment and also thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assigning them the important portfolio as Ministers of the FCT.

Dr Mahmoud called for the maximum cooperation and loyalty of FCTA  staff, saying that they must work according to the vision of the President to bring renewed hope in the FCT.

Also speaking, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola informed the FCT Ministers that the FCTA is home to a workforce of 40,000 skilled and dedicated professionals and pledged their loyalty and support for the new Administration.

He said, “let me assure you of the unflinching loyalty and dedication of our workforce. The men and women who tirelessly serve the FCTA are not merely employees; they are partners of our shared vision, ambassadors of progress and custodians of the dreams of our founding fathers.

 “With their high sense of commitment and expertise, they are poised to stand by your side, ensuring the success of your tenure and the fulfilment of the aspirations we hold dear”.

The Permanent Secretary also disclosed some of the activities lined up for the Ministers in the coming days, including the flag-off of projects for the resurfacing of various roads in the Federal Capital City (FCC), distribution of palliatives to residents as well as the flag-off of the park and pay project in the FCC, amongst others.