By Chioma Nnodim
President Bola Tinubu has approved the exit of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, from the Treasury Single Account, TSA, thereby paving way for the Nyesom Wike-led FCTA to utilize the territory’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, for the development of the nation’s capital.
Wike, who made this known at a news conference on Friday in Abuja, also revealed that the President has approved the creation of the FCT Civil Service Commission to allow for career progression.
In his words: “The Central bank cannot give us loans, and even the IGR is spent as it comes, which you cannot tangibly do anything with it.
“I said to Mr. President if you want FCT to really carry out its developmental projects and infrastructure, then it must come out of TSA. We (FCT Administration) are not a revenue generating agency of the federal government, then what financial leakages are you plugging?
“The revenue comes in, and it will go to the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN and we need money to do projects, I cannot go to the Central Bank to give us money, and I can’t go to the commercial banks. They will ask how do you pay back? So, I said we must pull out, that is the only way we can survive it.
“Mr. President graciously agreed with us and approved that we should pull out of the Single Treasury Account. You will see that from next year it will be projects upon projects in FCT, and what you saw in Port Harcourt, Abuja would be something else. So for us, it is one of the happiest days, and we have to thank Mr. President for the foresight.”
The Minister noted that for several years, a lot of issues in the FCT were stalled due to lack of political will to see then through.
According to him: “There is this fear that if I do this, people will kick against it, but it is not personal, it is about the growth of the city, welfare of the civil servants and the interest of the women – our mothers, sisters and wives.
“For many years this fight has been on, but in just few many months, Mr. President has done it. That is the essence of the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
“Civil Servants in the FCTA were stagnated because when they could only become directors and not rise to permanent secretaries. Before now, then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had as Acting President signed a law to create the FCT Civil Service Commission to allow for career progression but the law has never been implemented.
“So, I went to Mr President and explained why we had to implement it in his administration a d so he has graciously approved the creation of the Commission.
“Mr President has also approved the creation of a secretariat for women. You can imagine having an Administration as large as this and there is no Secretariat for women. So, the president has approved the creation of a Mandate Secretariat for Women Affairs just like we have the Ministry of Women Affairs in the states.
“One of the reasons I accepted to work with Mr. President is because he has the capacity and political will to do those things that people are afraid of doing. The problem of this country is partly leadership because so many people don’t want to take actions as they believe that some people will be angry.
“There is no action you take that everybody will be happy. But what is important is that you are guided by law and your conscience.”
