‘The Beauty And The Engine’
ABUJA at 50 looks good and worth celebrating as noted in this serial. The roads are being fixed. The abandoned projects are moving. For the first time in years, authorities want the residents to perceive that “Abuja is working.” That is largely to the credit of one man: Mr. Nyesom Wike, who has earned the title “Performing Minister.” But there is a danger in performance without institutions. Beauty without an engine isn’t sustainable. As we celebrate Abuja@50, let’s argue that Minister Wike’s second legacy must be this: Move from ‘Performing Minister’ to ‘Founding Father’ by building a functional FCT Bureaucracy. And here is why: no serious political leadership survives without a strong bureaucracy. And right now, the FCT Civil Service that the Minister inaugurated with fanfare in March 2024 is curiously showing signs of stagnation.
‘The promise of 2024 – Birth of the FCT Civil Service’
For 48 years, the FCTA operated without a proper Civil Service Commission. Staff were seconded from federal ministries to join the ones recruited without a Commission. Promotions were delayed. There was no career path. The FCT was treated like a Department, not a State. That changed in March, 2024 when the FCT Minister inaugurated a full-fledged FCT Civil Service Commission to feed already functional nine Mandate Secretariats. That effectively gave Abuja the structure to function as if it were a state as the constitution provides.
The FCT Civil Service Commission (FCT-CSC) was established by an Act in 2018 but inaugurated in March 2024 by the FCT Minister, Wike. When inaugurated the minister said the new structure would “bring efficiency, professionalism and speed to governance in the FCT.” The promise was huge:
1. Own HR system. Own recruitment. Own promotions. Own discipline.
2. Mandate Secretaries to act like Commissioners.
3. Permanent Secretaries to act like Accounting Officers.
For FCT staff, it was liberation. For residents, it was hope that the bureaucracy would finally match the infrastructure. But 18 months later, the engine is sputtering.
The signs of stagnation – 5 Red Flags: Follow-up reporting, and review of FCTA internal memos reveal five (5) critical problems threatening the new bureaucracy.
THE HEAD OF SERVICE IN PERPETUAL “ACTING”
On September 9, 2025, Mrs. Nancy Nathan was appointed as Ag. Head of Service, FCT following death of her predecessor. As of August 2026, she has acted for 11 months. Next month makes it one year. This is curious and unprecedented for a civil service. In civil service rules, “Acting” is meant to be 3-6 months maximum while confirmation processes are completed. One year in acting capacity is abnormal. It creates three (3) problems:
1. Authority Deficit: An Acting Head of Service (HoS) cannot make irreversible decisions on discipline, promotion, or postings without looking over her shoulder.
2. Morale Problem: Staff ask: “If our head is not confirmed, are we serious?”
3. Legal Risk: Key circulars signed by an Acting HoS for 12 months can be challenged in court. This alone sends a signal that the FCT bureaucracy is in limbo.
5 PERMANENT SECRETARY VACANCIES
The FCT Civil Service was designed to have 18 Permanent Secretaries to head the 18 Secretariats and Departments. Today, five (5) positions are vacant in the permanent secretaries cadre. What does this mean? 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 permanent secretary vacancy for three (3) months triggers a crisis. In FCT, they have had five (5) vacancies for some time.
3 MANDATE SECRETARY VACANCIES
The Mandate Secretariats are supposed to be the FCT’s “ministries.” There are nine (9) of them. Currently, three (3) are without substantive Mandate Secretaries. The offices are being run by Permanent Secretaries or Directors. This defeats the whole idea of the 2024 reform. The Mandate Secretary system was to bring political direction + bureaucratic execution. With vacancies, we have execution without direction, or direction without execution. It is therefore embarrassing for a capital that wants to be compared to London and Dubai.
NO TOOLS TO WORK – THE OFFICIAL VEHICLE PROBLEM
This sounds small but it is huge. Most directors and newly promoted Permanent Secretaries do not have official vehicles. They use personal cars to supervise projects across 8,000 sq km of FCT. Meanwhile, the Minister’s office has been supplying vehicles to some judicial agencies outside FCTA — courts, tribunals, etc. That is good. The judiciary must work. But the people who implement the Minister’s roads, water, sanitation, and education policies are trekking between meetings or begging for few pool vehicles. You cannot ask a Director of Engineering to supervise 10 road sites without mobility. You cannot ask a Director of Health to do oversight in Gwagwalada, Kuje and Abaji in one day without a car. This is how performance dies — not with a bang, but with fuel scarcity.
ELONGATED TENURE AND TREASURY PROBLEM
The Permanent Secretary, Treasury continues to enjoy “elongated service” beyond normal retirement. Instead of a proper replacement and competitive process, the office is being managed in a way that breeds suspicion. Treasury is the heart of the bureaucracy. If there is no clarity, no confidence, and no succession plan there, every other secretariat suffers. Contractors are not paid. Salaries are delayed. Budgets are not released. This is the single 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 now loud in Abuja that politics trumps policies that strengthen institutions.
The Water Crisis: There are hushed but persistent complaints across Abuja that water is not flowing in most locations. Areas like Gwarimpa, Kubwa, Lugbe, Karsana, and parts of the Central Area go weeks without FCT Water Board supply.
Sources say the problem is not just infrastructure. It is “budget approval”. The Board cannot procure chemicals, repair pumps, or pay technicians because releases are delayed and tied to “ministerial authorisation” for every small thing. A bureaucracy that cannot release water cannot claim to be working.
Project Implementation Lag: Wike commissions 50 roads. But who maintains them after six (6) months? Who does the drain clearing? Who enforces building codes on the new corridors? Without Permanent Secretaries and Directors with power and tools, everything returns to the Minister’s table. That is not sustainable. One man cannot run 8,000 sq km.
Staff Demoralisation: The recent promotion of stalled directors is a good move. But promotion without tools is frustration. “How can you promote me to Director and I don’t have an office, a car, or budget to run my department?” one director asked.
When you celebrate Abuja@50 with lights and roads, but your civil servants use torchlight to work at 7pm, the celebration rings hollow.
‘The political economy – Why bureaucracy matters @50’
Some will say: “Minister, just keep building. The bureaucracy will catch up.” History says no. London works because of the Greater London Authority (GLA) bureaucracy. Dubai works because of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Development Authority (DDA). Kigali too works because of a disciplined civil service in Rwanda. Abuja will only work if the FCTA bureaucracy works even when the minister travels. Here is the political economy logic: Infrastructure decays without maintenance: Roads need engineers. Parks need horticulturists. Water needs technicians. All of them sit in the bureaucracy.
Investment needs predictability: No serious investor will put money in Abuja if permits take one (1) year because the relevant Permanent Secretary is “acting.” Accountability needs institutions: If everything depends on the Minister, then when the Minister leaves, everything collapses. Institutions outlive individuals. Legitimacy needs service: People don’t feel government through billboards. They feel it through water, schools, clinics, etc. All delivered by the bureaucracy. Behold, Abuja@50 is not just about celebrating the past. It is about securing the next 50 years. That requires strong institutions. Not strong leaders. ‘From Performing Minister To Founding Father’.
Minister Wike has done what a predecessor could not do in eight (8) years. He has given Abuja visibility, pride, and momentum after the el-Rufai bulldozer and action mentality too. To move from “Performing Minister” to “Founding Father of Modern FCT Administration,” he must now do the boring but critical work of institution-building. And here is how: Founding Fathers don’t just cut ribbons. They write the rules. They set up systems that work after them. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello built first regional universities the federal military government seized in 1975. Obafemi Awolowo built free and compulsory basic education, first Television Station and Stadium in Africa.
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 sustainable development goal, (SDG). Roadmap to fix the FCT bureaucracy before December 2026. Here is what can be done in the next 120 days: Confirm The Head of the Civil Service Immediately: The FCT Minister, should confirm the Ag Head of Service before September 9, 2026. One year acting is an embarrassment. Give her the authority to lead the brand new Civil Service. Fill All Vacancies – PSs And Mandate Secretaries: Appoint five (5) new PSs and three (3) Mandate Secretaries within 60 days. Use the FCT Civil Service Commission.
Make it transparent. Stop “holding forth.” Empower the Civil Service Commission: The Commission was created to hire, fire, promote, and discipline. Let it function. Mobilise The Bureaucracy Tools, Not just the titles: Budget for official vehicles for Permanent Secretaries and Directors. Provide office equipment, laptops, and running costs. You cannot do “Renewed Hope” with 2005 computers. Normalise Tenure in Treasury: Appoint a substantive Permanent Secretary, Treasury through due process. Elongated tenure creates risk.
Let fresh blood bring fresh ideas. Release the Water Board Budget: The FCT Water Board needs a direct budget line and authority to procure. Water is life. If Abuja@50 residents don’t have water, the celebration is a lie. Give the Board Management authority to act without daily sign-off. Delegate and Trust: Minister, you don’t need to approve every virement. Set policy. Set targets. Let the bureaucracy execute. Hold them accountable quarterly. That is how states are run.
The link to the Permanent FCTA Complex: Last week, this column revealed that 50 years after Abuja, the FCTA has no permanent office complex. The foundation laid by Obasanjo and El-Rufai in 2007 is still abandoned due to a 2007 court injunction. The two issues are linked. You cannot have a functional bureaucracy working from 15 rented buildings. You cannot have permanent secretaries and directors motivated when they don’t have a befitting headquarters. The Permanent FCTA Complex and a functional Civil Service are “twin pillars’ of Abuja@50 legacy.
Build the house. And put the right people inside it with the right tools.
What Happens If We Don’t Act? If we ignore the bureaucracy and only focus on infrastructure, here is the forecast for 2027-2030: Roads will pothole because there is no Director with budget to patch them. Water will fail because the Board cannot buy chlorine. Files will pile up because five PSs offices are vacant. 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 FCT Minister: Wike, you have restored faith in government. You have shown that Nigeria can still work. But Nigerians don’t just need a man who works. They need systems that work. Abuja@50 is your stage. The world is watching. History is watching. And 50 years from now, when Abuja turns 100, civil servants will say: “It was Wike who gave us an institution.” That is greater than any road. Reason: there is no serious and sustainable political leadership without a strong bureaucracy.
- Oloja is former editor of The Guardian newspaper and his column, Inside Stuff, runs on the back page of the newspaper on Sunday. The column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.