[INSIDE STUFF WITH OLOJA, The Guardian | Back Page | August 15, 2026]
Abuja at 50 looks good. Worth celebrating.
The roads are being fixed. Abandoned projects are moving again. For the first time in years, residents can say without irony: “Abuja is working.”
That momentum has one name attached to it: Nyesom Wike. The FCT Minister has earned the title “Performing Minister.”
But beauty without an engine is not sustainable.
As we mark Abuja@50, the harder conversation must begin. Minister Wike’s second legacy cannot be concrete alone. It must be institutions.
He must move from “Performing Minister” to “Founding Father” by building a functional FCT bureaucracy. Because no serious political leadership survives without a strong bureaucracy. And right now, the FCT Civil Service inaugurated with fanfare in March 2024 is showing worrying signs of stagnation.
—The Promise of 2024: Birth of the FCT Civil Service—
For 48 years, the FCTA ran without a proper Civil Service Commission. Staff were seconded from federal ministries and joined with ad-hoc recruits. Promotions stalled. There was no career path. The FCT was treated like a department, not a state.
That changed in March 2024. Wike inaugurated a full-fledged *FCT Civil Service Commission* to serve nine functional Mandate Secretariats. It gave Abuja, constitutionally, the structure of a state.
The Commission itself was created by an Act in 2018, but only came to life in 2024. At the inauguration, the Minister promised it would “bring efficiency, professionalism and speed to governance in the FCT.”
The promise was clear:
1. Own HR system — own recruitment, promotions, discipline.
2. Mandate Secretaries to act like Commissioners.
3. Permanent Secretaries to act like Accounting Officers.
For staff, it was liberation. For residents, it was hope that bureaucracy would finally match infrastructure.
Eighteen months later, the engine is sputtering.
—The Signs of Stagnation: 5 Red Flags—
Follow-up reporting and review of FCTA internal memos reveal five critical problems threatening the new bureaucracy.
1.THE HEAD OF SERVICE IN PERPETUAL “ACTING”
On September 9, 2025, Mrs. Nancy Nathan was appointed Acting Head of Service after her predecessor died. As of August 2026, she has acted for 11 months. Next month makes it a year.
In civil service rules, “Acting” is 3 to 6 months maximum. One year is abnormal.
It creates an authority deficit — an Acting HoS cannot make irreversible decisions on discipline or promotions without looking over her shoulder.
It creates a morale problem — “If our head is not confirmed, are we serious?”
It creates legal risk — circulars signed by an Acting HoS for 12 months can be challenged in court.
The signal is clear: the FCT bureaucracy is in limbo.
2.5 PERMANENT SECRETARY VACANCIES
The FCT Civil Service was designed for 18 Permanent Secretaries. Five positions are vacant.
Directors are “holding forth.” Files are delayed. No one wants to sign big contracts in acting capacity. Accountability is blurred.
In the federal civil service, a 3-month PS vacancy triggers crisis. In FCT, five have been empty for months.
3.3 MANDATE SECRETARY VACANCIES*
The Mandate Secretariats are the FCT’s “ministries.” There are nine. Three have no substantive Mandate Secretaries.
The 2024 reform was meant to bring political direction + bureaucratic execution. With vacancies, we have execution without direction. For a capital that wants to be compared to London and Dubai, this is embarrassing.
4. NO TOOLS TO WORK — THE OFFICIAL VEHICLE PROBLEM
It sounds small. It is huge.
Most directors and newly promoted Permanent Secretaries have no official vehicles. They use personal cars to supervise projects across 8,000 sq km of FCT.
Meanwhile, the Minister’s office has supplied vehicles to judicial agencies outside FCTA. That is good. But the people implementing roads, water, sanitation and education are begging for pool vehicles.
You cannot ask a Director of Engineering to supervise 10 road sites without mobility. This is how performance dies — not with a bang, but with fuel scarcity.
5. ELONGATED TENURE AND TREASURY PROBLEM
The Permanent Secretary, Treasury continues to enjoy “elongated service” beyond retirement. There has been no competitive replacement.
Treasury is the heart of the bureaucracy. Without clarity and succession, contractors are not paid, salaries are delayed, budgets are not released. This is the fastest way to kill the gains of Abuja@50.
—The Consequences on Service Delivery—
A stagnant bureaucracy does not shout. It whispers. And the whispers are loud.
The Water Crisis: Residents in Gwarimpa, Kubwa, Lugbe, Karsana and parts of the Central Area go weeks without FCT Water Board supply. Sources say it is not just infrastructure. It is budget approval. The Board cannot buy chemicals or pay technicians because releases are tied to “ministerial authorisation” for every small thing.
A bureaucracy that cannot release water cannot claim to be working.
Project Implementation Lag: Wike can commission 50 roads. But who maintains them after six months? Who clears drains? Who enforces building codes? Without empowered PSs and Directors, everything returns to the Minister’s table. One man cannot run 8,000 sq km.
Staff Demoralisation: Promotions are good. But promotion without tools is frustration.
“How can you promote me to Director and I don’t have an office, a car, or budget?” one director asked.
When civil servants use torchlight at 7pm, the Abuja@50 celebration rings hollow.
The Political Economy: Why Bureaucracy Matters @ 50
Some will say: “Just keep building. The bureaucracy will catch up.” History says no.
London works because of the GLA bureaucracy. Dubai works because of the RTA and DDA. Kigali works because of a disciplined civil service.
Abuja will only work if the FCTA bureaucracy works even when the Minister travels.
Infrastructure decays without maintenance. Investment needs predictability. Accountability needs institutions. Legitimacy is felt through water, schools, clinics — all delivered by the bureaucracy.
Abuja@50 is not just about the past. It is about the next 50 years. That requires strong institutions, not just strong men.
—From Performing Minister To Founding Father—
Minister Wike has done what predecessors could not in eight years. He gave Abuja visibility and momentum.
To become “Founding Father of Modern FCT Administration,” he must now do the boring but critical work of institution-building. Founding Fathers write the rules. They set up systems that outlive them.
What will Wike be remembered for in 2076? The roads, yes. But also: “He gave FCT a civil service that worked.” That should be his SDG.
Roadmap: 120 Days To Fix It Before December 2026
1. Confirm the Head of Service immediately — before September 9, 2026. One year acting is an embarrassment.
2. Fill all vacancies— appoint 5 PSs and 3 Mandate Secretaries within 60 days through the FCT-CSC.
3. Empower the Civil Service Commission — let it hire, fire, promote, discipline.
4. Mobilise the tools— budget for vehicles, laptops, office equipment, running costs.
5. Normalise Treasury tenure — appoint a substantive PS Treasury through due process.
6. Release the Water Board budget— give it a direct line and procurement authority.
7. Delegate and trust — set policy and targets. Let the bureaucracy execute. Hold them accountable quarterly.
—The Link To The Permanent FCTA Complex—
Last week this column revealed: 50 years after Abuja, FCTA still has no permanent office complex. The foundation laid in 2007 remains abandoned due to a court injunction.
You cannot have a functional bureaucracy working from 15 rented buildings. The Permanent FCTA Complex and a functional Civil Service are the “twin pillars” of Abuja@50 legacy. Build the house. Put the right people inside with the right tools.
—What Happens If We Don’t Act?—
Forecast for 2027-2030: Roads will pothole. Water will fail. Files will pile up. Corruption will rise because acting officers are afraid to say no. The next Minister will inherit a beautiful but broken city.
That is not legacy. That is waste.
-The Choice Before The Minister*
Wike, you have restored faith that government can work. But Nigerians don’t just need a man who works. They need systems that work.
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Abuja@50 is your stage. The world is watching. History is watching.
Fifty years from now, when Abuja turns 100, civil servants should say: “It was Wike who gave us an institution.”
That is greater than any road.
Because there is no serious and sustainable political leadership without a strong bureaucracy.
