Today, H.E. Nyesom Wike, alongside 44 other ministers, was sworn in at the Banquet Hall at the State House. Mr Wike becomes the first Southerner to become Minister of the Federal Capital Territory in the fourth republic. Abuja residents will say the last time we have had a minister in the FCT was during the tenure of the no-nonsense El-Rufai, who sanitised the FCT, hospitals functioned with the availability of drugs, the Abuja master plan was ruthlessly pursued, and new areas were opened up and well planned. Stellar efforts were also made to have an efficient transport system (which has now collapsed), and functioning streetlights.
Previous ministers have seen Abuja’s lucrative land as the most paramount thing to sit on. While it is good to invest in developing and opening up more areas, Mr. Wike needs to quickly understand that his principal role is not the signing of documents allocating land. Abuja is a city that can readily outshine some of its competitors easily.
Anyone who has visited other Nation’s capitals will be ashamed at the image Abuja portrays. Kigali in Rwanda, Rabat in Morocco, and perhaps even Nairobi in Kenya far outshines Abuja as a modern capital. While there will be lots of competing priorities, I am outlining these six (6) as what the new FCT Minister should shine his light on:
- Streetlights and Functional Traffic Control System: It is a shame to admit that I was pleasantly surprised that upon my visits to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, I easily concluded that streetlights work better in Maiduguri plagued by the Boko Haram crisis than in Abuja. I have become quite blase by the halfhearted measures by several administrations to light up Abuja. Beyond streetlights, Abuja deserves a modernised traffic control system that ensures traffic control system functions 24/7, cameras monitor traffic incidences and behaviour at major spots and dangerous spots and an electronic/computerised ticketing system for traffic offenders. Many African cities have achieved this, and shouldn’t be rocket science to raise Abuja to the same level in one year, or even less This should however be matched with traffic rules literacy for the teeming population in the city.
- Reducing Crime in Abuja: Petty crimes have increased in Abuja, and residents are afraid of being victims. It is dangerous to park one’s faulty car on the highway as it is an easy invite to being robbed, stabbed or both. The FCT Administration under Wike needs to ensure regular surveillance to reduce the incidences of crime and prioritise making Abuja one of the safest cities in Nigeria and perhaps the safest capital in sub-Saharan Africa. Rwanda already prides itself on this title.
- Satellite towns deserve better roads and drainage systems: Abuja is known for very good road networks. However, this is a story only for the main highways, the satellite towns suffer from bad roads, and the new FCT minister needs to keep this on top of his agenda; the working class who predominantly live in the satellite towns deserve better services with roads, working drainages, streetlights and functioning water systems.
- Abuja needs to host many more International Meetings: Nigeria is a favourite destination spot for many Africans given the image our entertainment industry has successfully sold. Working with counterparts in the Foreign Affairs Ministry and other MDAs, the Minister needs to position Abuja as a city that can welcome and host major international conferences and events. Today on the continent, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranks Cape Town as the top destination for meetings and conferences, followed by Kigali and Marrakech. Even in West Africa, Accra and Dakar are top picks for conference organisers over Abuja. This needs to change. International meetings attract forex spenders, with ripple effects on hotels, food and beverages, transport, tourist services, as well as arts and crafts, amongst others. Abuja has what it takes to compete, and it can, in 4 years, become a favourite destination for meetings and conferences, helping to support local businesses across the city.
- Abuja Rail heading to Nowhere: Currently, the Abuja light rail system, a part of the Abuja Transportation Master plan, has partially completed a single phase running from the Abuja Metro Station in the central area to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Looking at the purpose of the light rail system to ease traffic congestion, this route is the one that currently has the lowest traffic. Beyond repairing the non-functional line to the Abuja airport, the FCT Administration needs to fast-track the development of other lots connecting Gwagwa, Kubwa and other access points to the metro station in the central area and then to the airport. This is the only time the actual value of the light rail investment will be harnessed. An immediate quick win will be the deployment of LPG or electric BRT buses with smart cards on major routes Asokoro/Giri to the City Centre, Kubwa to the City Centre, Gwagwalada to City Centre, Nyanya to the city centre, amongst others. This is one solid way to ensure that the pains of subsidy removal is eased on commuters on Abuja roads.
- Health and Education Reforms: Abuja has all it takes to be the pacesetter in basic education (primary and senior Secondary) and Primary Health Care for the entire nation. Current educational outcomes show that this is different. Two years ago, my organisation, Youthhubafrica with support from Christian Aid enrolled 200 beneficiaries under the FCT health insurance scheme. We selected the beneficiaries from underserved communities across the FCT and paid for their health insurance. It took over four months to get the health insurance policy for the beneficiaries. The system needs to change; Abuja needs an emergency health response system, a functioning primary health care system and well equiped hospitals that will be the model for other states.
Mr Wike comes to the FCTA Administration with a lot of pedigree; he was seen as Mr Projects when he was a two-time Governor in Rivers State; only time will tell if he can ruthlessly deliver valuable projects that will uplift the image of Abuja as a capital of choice in Africa.
Finally, a note of caution, as I finished the first draft of this blog, i watched a video of Mr Wike in his first day in office, he said, ‘if you have developed where you are not supposed to develop, your house will go down’. I hope the Honourable Minister understands that reforms will succeed only if they are technically correct, organisationally implementable and politically supportable. These are challenging times in Nigeria, there is a lot of adjustments as a result of fuel subsidy removal, and Mr Wike needs to earn public trust with a wide range of positive reforms to gain public trust before wielding the big stick, and while he wields the big stick, I encourage him to do so within the ambit of and respect for the rule of law.
