The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Executive Council (EXCO) has approved five critical memoranda aimed at accelerating infrastructure development, improving education services and strengthening revenue generation at its first meeting of 2026.
Chaired by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, the briefing to journalists after the meeting on Wednesday in Abuja was led by the Chief of Staff to the Minister, Mr Chidi Amadi, who described the session as a strategic opening to what the administration expects to be a productive year.
Mr Amadi explained that the Minister, at the end of the meeting, received five critical memos focusing on driving the development of the capital city, and approvals were granted after robust deliberations.
He expressed appreciation to the media for their support in 2025, explaining that the FCT Administration was optimistic that collaboration with the press would be stronger and more result-driven in 2026.
Giving details of one of the approvals, the Mandate Secretary for Education, Dr. Danlami Hayyo, announced that EXCO approved a contract for facility management services at the Korea Model School.
The school, established between 2018 and 2019 by the Korean Government in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), was handed over to the FCT Administration in 2019.
According to Hayyo, a sum of N62 million was approved to cover the management and facility services of the high-tech school for one year.
“The contract will run from February 2025 to January 2026 and will ensure effective administration and maintenance of the school, which serves as a model institution in the FCT,” he said.
Also commenting on his approval, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Richard Yunana Dauda, said that EXCO ratified three major emergency projects earlier executed by the authority.
He said the first was the rehabilitation and resurfacing of roads within the Presidential Villa, which had been in use for over 30 years and had become severely degraded.
The project, he said, was executed by Julius Berger Plc and has been completed and formally ratified by the council.
The second project, he said, was the Kabusa-Ketti Road, awarded on an emergency basis due to rising criminal activities linked to its poor condition. Dauda noted that the road was completed and commissioned in June 2025, adding that EXCO ratified the final contract sum of N9.8 billion.
He said that the third project involved erosion control and restoration of critical water pipelines supplying Abuja from the Lower Usuma Dam.
Richard noted that, the intervention, carried out by SCC Nigeria Limited at a cost of about N1.7 billion, was approved following the risk of a potential collapse of water supply to the city.
On revenue matters, the Director of Lands, Mr. Chijoke Nwankwoeze, announced that EXCO approved enforcement actions against property owners who defaulted on ground rent payments, Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) fees and land use conversion charges.
He said the council reviewed compliance levels and resolved that enforcement would commence from next week.
“Enforcement actions will include revocation of titles, sealing of properties and other lawful measures. Defaulters along major areas such as Wuse II, Garki Areas 7 and 8, and other locations are hereby notified to comply or face enforcement,” Nwankwoeze warned.
The Acting Executive Chairman of the FCT Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), Mr. Michael Ango, urged residents to fulfil their tax and statutory obligations, stressing that internally generated revenue remains critical to sustaining world-class infrastructure in the capital.
“The Honourable Minister is committed to providing a livable, modern capital city. But this can only be achieved if residents pay their taxes, ground rents and statutory fees,” Ango said.
He appealed to defaulters to take advantage of the window to comply, noting that enforcement was necessary to protect the collective interest of Abuja residents.
The approvals and directives, officials said, reaffirm the FCT Administration’s focus on infrastructure renewal, service delivery and fiscal discipline in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Lateefah Ibrahim