Wike, Game Changer for the FCT?

Mariam Mohammed

The American leadership expert, John C. Maxwell posits that, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” In common parlance, a man cannot give what he does not have. And very few will argue with this timeless aphorism when one takes into cognisance how leadership has impacted, positively or negatively, on the fortunes of this country.

60 years plus of independence, Nigerians have had to grapple with a “touch and go” sort of leadership leaving not a few to wonder, especially at the national stage, when the country will get it right.

Recent events since President Bola Tinubu took over the reins of government almost a 100 days soon signposts the fact that at last, a courageous, forward looking and thinking government is here. And one of the sterling star in the firmament of the president is in his choice of Mr. Nyesom Wike, former Governor of Rivers State as the Minister of the FCT.

47 years after its founding and more than 31 years after the seat of power moved to the new Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is a city in constant search for its identity. The reason is not because it is a melting pot for all Nigerians, rather the administrative verve, or lack of it, to properly situate it as a model city which can aspire with others across the globe.

Watchers are in agreement that one factor is the sort of leadership that Abuja has had in the previous years. A leadership lacking in vision and ambition, foresight and political will to master and implement the Abuja Master Plan.

So, when Chief Wike was appointed by President Tinubu, the sigh of relief could be heard across the 7,315 km² that is the size of the territory.

It is troubling that a city that was conceived as model green city with 40 percent of its landmass for that purpose is now non-recognisable.

It is easy to say that the job is cut out for the new minister given his track record especially as immediate past governor of Rivers State after 8 years of exceptionally delivery and service to his people.

It is, therefore, heart-warming to see the governor on his assumption of office making the point of bringing the city at par with other capital cities in the world. If there was to be any doubt as to the suitability of Wike to tackling the hydra Abuja has become, one has to revert his or her mind back to when the Federal Government honoured him with the Distinguished Award in Infrastructure Delivery at the 2022 Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service in Abuja.

It remains a no mean feat that an opposition governor will be so-recognised ahead of governors of the ruling party. The answer is simple: excellence does not hide!

As a widely acclaimed for Mr. Infrastructure owing to his infrastructural revolution, Wike has the onerous task to reposition Abuja, tackle insecurity and ensure that the high and mighty that have short-changed the city system as well as the corrupt bureaucracy is repositioned for effective service delivery.

Mr. Minister, Abuja stinks. Abuja lacks the requisite planning though there is a Master Plan. Abuja is in need of a Lee Kwan Yew like Singapore had. Abuja direly in in need of a Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the architect of modern Dubai. The territory yearns for development in all facets. There is a consensus amongst well-meaning residents and visitors alike that you have the requisite knowhow, drive, and motivation to do it.

As an opposition personality in a ruling party government, you have been entrusted with the administration of the Seat of Power which demonstrates the trust and confidence of the president in you.

While your inaugural press conference has set the tone in which your administration intends to run, one is confident that you would have already looked at why the city has refused to tick as it should. As a city of so many “big men,” it behoves on you to show that everyone is equal before the law except in mitigating circumstances bordering on national security and cohesion.

It is music to hear you vowing to “step on toes.” Without the courage, not like the cat of Mbiama, you may not achieve your mandate. To reclaim Abuja also means looking at the age-long, never ending compensation of the original inhabitants of the FCT. It will be an interesting venture to address this and free up squalor settlements for meaningful development.

It is in this wise that you should revert your mind to the gross land racketeering that is pervasive in Abuja. The racket cuts across all strata of the society. Civil servants, politicians, the religious and of course, the charlatans. This has stymied true development and is one of the factors for the overly priced land in the territory. You require a forensic audit of the web if you are to free valuable land for economic growth and development

It is germane for you to know that Abuja was conceptualized to be a green city by at least 40 percent, and the past administration has committed to the implementation of the outcomes of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow for Nigeria to achieve Net-Zero Carbon emission by 2070.

Abuja was part of a group of 6 nations from the northern and southern hemispheres that committed to meeting the challenges of climate change and was also admitted as part of a research programme known as “Institute for Future cities” run by a university in the United Kingdom.

Abuja has the potential if properly harnessed to achieve zero-carbon emission and that is why it admitted. Without a doubt, you can work towards seeing how the city can eliminate and become carbon emission-free before 2070. The spiral benefit are enormous in terms of tourism, investment and business.

It is instructive to inform you that for too long, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) the agency responsible for the implementation of the Federal Capital City (FCC), has performed below par and will require surgical personnel and financial audit to ascertain why such a critical development arm has fallen short of expectations.

It was gratifying listening to you that everywhere cannot be a motor park in the city. Truth be told, everywhere as it is today is a bust park. Nowhere is spared, those in charge like the Abuja Environmental Protection Board are more attune to sleaze and compromise going by the hundreds of illegal park operators that dot the city.

You are not far to have noted that Abuja is the only capital city in the world where cattle take a stroll in the city centre and nothing is done. The Three Arms zone is not exempt. It has become so ridiculous that that the FCC has being christened Federal Cattle Territory! Such a shame!

The insecurity in Abuja is abysmal. Hardly a week passes by without as much a resident or visitor not being kidnapped in the capital territory. Traditional rulers, and their families, the clergy and their members, whole communities have been sacked by criminals with a reactionary administration.

One need not remind you that as governor of Rivers State, security was also a priority besides the commendable infrastructural development that remains a legacy unmatched in the country amongst your contemporaries.

Abuja is begging to have a security architecture that engenders safety and confidence that you are free to live and thrive without fear.

Mr. Minister, while history beckons and there is the urgency to act, it is expedient that you work within the ambit of the law. Let it not be seen, heard or imagined that the administration of the city is run on whims and caprices while not shirking the firmness and audacity that change demands of a cosmopolitan builder that you are.

As you are welcomed to the FCT, the Game Changer, I leave you with the words of former President Barack Obama of the United States, who said, “History really doesn’t follow a straight line. It zigs and zags, but the trend lines ultimately will be in the direction of a less violent, more empathetic, more generous world. And that requires individuals fighting for that future.”

In your fight to reclaim Abuja, in your effort to ensure it is the city which the founding fathers dreamt, be persuaded that there are thousands of people who are with you and will lend the support in this arduous task. Congratulations!

Ms Mohammed is a Political Public Relations Strategist and Initiator/Executive Director, Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS). She can be reached on +2348152688888 (WhatsApp ONLY); mariam.c.mohammed@gmail.com