ABUJA: Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday inspected ongoing engineering infrastructure works in Guzape District II, declaring that the FCT Administration will not spare officials responsible for issuing an unauthorized circular ordering the closure of schools in Abuja.
Wike spoke during a question-and-answer session with journalists shortly after assessing the project, which he said was part of long-abandoned contracts inherited by the current administration.
He explained that the Guzape II infrastructure development was awarded about six years ago, with land allocations made more than seven years back, but the project stalled due to funding gaps.
According to him, the renewed works form part of the administration’s commitment to open up more districts, expand the capital city and ease congestion.
He said; “Most of the jobs you see us doing are jobs that were awarded years back before the inception of this administration in 2023”.
The minister added that government must complete inherited projects because “government is a continuum.”
Citing the recent approval for Maitama II infrastructure, another district whose contracts were awarded over a decade ago, Wike said Abuja cannot grow without providing roads, utilities and basic engineering services.
“The only way we can make people develop is to create infrastructure. What we are doing here is the same thing, to create more opportunities for people to carry out their business activities”, he stated.
Responding to concerns about villages bordering developing districts, the Minister said the administration maintains a clear compensation and resettlement policy.
He cited the example of C01 in Guzape Village, where displaced residents were fully compensated and relocation handled through the contractor, Gilmor Engineering. “We don’t just compensate them, we also relocate them,” he emphasized.
Wike, however, shifted sharply to the controversy that dominated public discourse on Tuesday following a circular, later found to be unauthorized, directing all schools in the territory to shut down over alleged security concerns.
The Minister described the action as shocking, irresponsible and capable of causing nationwide panic. “I was watching television last night and I saw that FCT had directed that schools should be shut down. I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
The Minister said he immediately contacted the Mandate Secretary for Education and security heads, only to discover that no such directive was issued or approved.
“There is no threat that will make us shut down the schools,” Wike stressed, adding that the FCT Security Council meeting held on Wednesday confirmed that the circular had no basis.
Consequently, he reaffirmed the indefinite suspension of the Mandate Secretary for Education, Dr Danlami Hayyo and promised strict sanctions for directors involved in preparing or circulating the notice. “It is unimaginable how people could take such a decision without the head of affairs knowing. It is very unfortunate,” he said.
Asked whether the officials might have acted out of caution due to perceived threats, the Minister dismissed the claim as illogical and dangerous. “How could you take such an action in anticipation? Even I cannot do that without letting the President know. This is the FCT. Do you know what that tells? That there is insecurity in FCT,” he said.
Wike noted that contiguous states grappling with higher security threats, including Kaduna, Nasarawa and Kogi, did not shut down schools, insisting that Abuja must not be turned into a centre of fear through wrongful administrative decisions.
He reiterated that security agencies are fully deployed to protect schools and maintain order, warning that the administration “will not forgive anybody who is involved in this.”