22/06/2026
Stay at "home!" —Wike drops hard truths on new FCT Area Council Chairmen
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike Swears in the AMAC Chairman and five other Area Council Chairmen in Abuja on Monday 15th June, 2026.
In a blunt and uncompromising address, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, has warned newly inaugurated Area Council chairmen that grassroots governance from Abuja’s city centre is officially over.
Speaking on Monday night during the inauguration of the six chairmen elected in the February polls, Wike directed the local leaders to immediately reside within their respective councils to remain accessible to their constituents and effectively monitor security challenges.
"You were not elected in the city. Stay at home so that your people can carry their problems to you," Wike demanded, emphasizing that local presence is vital for gathering intelligence on kidnapping and banditry.
The Minister also drew a hard line on financial discipline, stripping away any illusions of direct control over local government funds. He explicitly stated that executive chairmen only hold the power to approve expenditures, not to sign cheques or directly withdraw money—a role strictly reserved for civil servant signatories.
Warning against corruption, Wike threatened to personally invite the EFCC and ICPC to investigate any chairman caught bypassing financial protocols or attempting to manipulate council treasurers in informal settings.
While assuring the leaders that the FCT Administration will not touch their statutory allocations, the Minister stressed that strict monitoring will be enforced to guarantee transparent development reaches the rural communities.
