Favour Ishember, Abuja
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike says the FCT’s monthly internally generated revenue has more than quadrupled under his watch, climbing from roughly N9 billion to over N40 billion since 2023.
Speaking at his monthly press briefing with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Wike credited the surge to sweeping reforms that sealed revenue leakages and tightened collection systems. According to him, the stronger cash flow has given the FCT Administration room to bankroll infrastructure works, upgrade services across the capital, and breathe new life into projects that had stalled for years.
He said the turnaround was driven by careful spending and a tougher approach to land-based income, including ground rent and Certificates of Occupancy.
“On assumption of office, our IGR stood at just N9 billion monthly,” Wike stated.
“Today, we have pushed it to the forty-something billion range. So when people say ‘FCT is working,’ it’s working because someone made it work.”
The minister noted that the jump was not accidental, but the product of deliberate policy changes and administrative actions since he took office. Those extra funds, he added, are what is financing current development work across the territory.
Wike also revealed that a large chunk of completed projects under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration were inherited liabilities. About 70 percent, he said, were contracts awarded 15 to 16 years ago and left untouched by past governments.
In line with the President’s directive not to abandon viable projects, in the FCT, he explained, first focused on finishing those old jobs before rolling out new ones in Abuja and the satellite areas.
“The President was clear: we cannot abandon old projects. At the same time, we must deliver new ones,” Wike said.
“I can confirm that about 60 percent of what we’ve delivered in the last three years was awarded 15 to 16 years ago. If we ignored them, the questions would never stop. We chose to complete them first, and we’ve now delivered no less than 70 percent.”
He linked the speed of development to President Tinubu’s backing, highlighting in particular the removal of the FCT Administration from the Treasury Single Account. That move, Wike said, made funds accessible for infrastructure without delay.
Looking ahead, he said the administration will keep pushing projects in transportation, the opening of new districts, and overall improvements in residents’ living standards. For him, strong leadership, accountability and disciplined management of public money remain the bedrock for real results in governance.
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