Tinubu Defends FCTA’s TSA Exit, Says Policy Fast Tracked Abuja Projects
Dr Nafisat Makinɗe, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Monday defended his administration’s decision to exempt the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), saying the policy has given the territory the financial flexibility needed to accelerate infrastructure delivery and transform Abuja.
Tinubu said the decision, which drew criticism when it was introduced, enabled the FCTA to access liquidity, engage financial institutions more efficiently and execute critical projects without bureaucratic delays.
The remarks were contained in a statement issued Monday by Yomi Odunuga, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“When we pulled the FCT Administration out of the Treasury Single Account, there were skeptics. There were those who questioned the wisdom of that financial liberation. But we did it because we knew that local administration must have the liquidity, the speed and the corporate flexibility to interface with financial institutions and deliver critical projects without bureaucratic strangulation. Today, the results are glaring,” Tinubu said.
The president, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, made the remarks while commissioning the new Body of Benchers Office Annex and 10 four-bedroom staff quarters at the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja.
Tinubu credited FCT Minister Nyesom Wike with implementing the policy through infrastructure projects, saying the minister had gone beyond road construction to strengthen institutions that support justice and governance.
He also commended Wike for resolving the Nigerian Law School’s long-standing land title challenge by facilitating the issuance of its Certificate of Occupancy after years without formal documentation.
“When I appointed Minister Wike, I gave him a clear mandate to transform Abuja into a modern, functional and world-class capital city. Over the last three years, the scale of infrastructural development, urban renewal and project delivery in the FCT has been unmatched,” Tinubu said.
At the inauguration of the Body of Benchers Office Annex, Tinubu described the complex as a symbol of his administration’s commitment to the rule of law, institutional independence and democratic governance.
He rejected claims that providing infrastructure for the judiciary amounts to executive interference, saying supporting the justice sector with the facilities it needs is a constitutional responsibility of government.
“Let me be absolutely clear: the provision of infrastructure for the legal community and the judiciary is not an interference in the independence of another arm of government. Rather, it is a constitutional and collaborative duty of the Executive to ensure that those who interpret and uphold our laws are provided with an environment that fosters operational efficiency and excellence,” he said.
Speaking at the Nigerian Law School, Tinubu said decent accommodation and modern learning facilities are essential to producing competent legal professionals, stressing that “we cannot build a world-class legal system with dilapidated infrastructure.”
He said the newly commissioned staff quarters mark the first phase of broader investments in the institution. The Federal Government is funding the construction of a new auditorium, additional student hostels and the digitisation of the Law School’s academic and administrative operations.
He said similar interventions are underway across the justice sector, including the construction of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, magistrates’ courts and residential quarters for judges.
“We promised not just to govern, but to reform. We promised to rebuild the broken structures of our institutional foundations,” Tinubu said.