Abuja Natives Defend Wike’s Infrastructure Drive Amid Rising FCT Debt

The Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO) has defended the infrastructural development drive of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration under the Minister, Nyesom Wike, urging residents and stakeholders to assess the Territory’s rising debt alongside the assets and economic opportunities being created.

The organisation, through its executive director, Commandant Isaac David, made the position known in a statement on Monday in response to a recent report by an online media platform on the FCT’s domestic debt profile.

The media platform, citing data from the Debt Management Office (DMO), reported that the FCT’s domestic debt rose from N88.51 billion as of September 2023, when Wike assumed office, to N389.88 billion by March 2026.

According to the report, the increase of N301.37 billion, representing 340.5 per cent, moved the FCT from 29th position among Nigeria’s 37 sub-national governments in domestic debt to second place.

David said while AOIYEO recognised the responsibility of the media and citizens to scrutinise public borrowing and demand transparency, a balanced assessment should also consider how borrowed resources were deployed and the long-term value of projects being created.

“While we recognise the legitimate responsibility of the media and citizens to interrogate public borrowing and demand transparency and accountability, we believe that any fair assessment of the FCT’s financial obligations must equally examine what the resources are being used to achieve, the public assets being created and their long-term economic value to the Territory,” he said.

The organisation said Abuja had witnessed what it described as an unprecedented scale and geographical spread of infrastructural development since the assumption of office of the present administration.

According to AOIYEO, major roads, bridges and interchanges have either been constructed, rehabilitated or completed, while several abandoned and long-delayed projects have also been revived.

It listed major arterial and collector roads, expansion and rehabilitation of roads within the city, the opening of new districts, improvements in satellite-town infrastructure and investments in water, drainage, electricity and street lighting among the interventions undertaken by the administration.

The group also highlighted developments in Kubwa, Bwari, Karshi and other satellite communities, as well as regional and rural road connections, saying the projects represented a shift from concentrating development around Abuja’s traditional city centre.

It added that the administration had pursued strategic interventions in transportation, land administration and urban development, which it said were opening up previously underserved areas, reducing travel time, improving connectivity and creating new opportunities for residential, commercial and industrial development.

“For perhaps the first time in many years, residents can see major infrastructure interventions simultaneously across different parts of the Federal Capital Territory,” David said.

He argued that infrastructure should not be viewed merely as physical construction, but as an economic enabler capable of reducing the cost of doing business, opening markets, encouraging investment and improving productivity and quality of life.

David also cited Abuja’s reported fourth-place ranking in the 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business assessment by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), with a score of 61 per cent.

He said the ranking provided an important context for assessing the administration’s investment in infrastructure and reforms in land administration, service delivery and the business environment.

“Investments that improve roads, connectivity, public services, land administration and access to economic opportunities strengthen the foundations upon which businesses operate and investments thrive,” he said.

The AOIYEO executive director maintained that public debt should not be viewed merely as an isolated figure, stressing the need to distinguish between borrowing used for recurrent consumption and financing deployed towards productive infrastructure and enduring public assets.

“The more appropriate questions should therefore be: What has been built? What economic opportunities have been unlocked? What value has been added to the Territory? And does the FCT possess the revenue and economic capacity to sustainably meet its obligations?” he asked.

David said the visible infrastructural changes across Abuja demonstrated that communities were being connected, neglected corridors were being opened and economic activities were expanding into new areas.

He therefore commended Wike for what he described as the courage to confront the infrastructure deficit accumulated over several years rather than postpone difficult decisions for future administrations.

However, the group urged the FCT Administration to strengthen fiscal transparency, public disclosure and communication on infrastructure financing and debt management.

“This will enable residents to better appreciate the relationship between financial obligations and the assets being created,” he said.

According to AOIYEO, development requires investment, courage, fiscal responsibility and accountability, stressing that the ultimate test should be whether public resources and financing translate into measurable improvements in the lives of residents and sustainable economic opportunities.

“The unprecedented infrastructural transformation currently taking place across the FCT, together with Abuja’s improved national standing as the fourth best-performing jurisdiction in the 2025 Ease of Doing Business assessment, provides compelling evidence that the bold development choices being made today are already contributing to a more connected, competitive and economically viable Federal Capital Territory.

“Abuja is being opened up. Investment opportunities are expanding. The benefits of development are reaching beyond the city centre. This is the kind of productive transformation that stakeholders should encourage while continuing to demand transparency and accountability,” he said.