By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Traditional rulers in the Federal Capital Territory FCT have pledged to deliver massive political support to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, in return for the first-class upgrade of their thrones and the introduction of a full civil service in the territory.
The Etsu of Kwali, Luka Ayedoo Nizassan III, made the pledge on Monday on behalf of the Council of Chiefs, Kwali Area Council, at a Rainbow Coalition Stakeholders’ meeting in Kwali.
He said four graded chiefs, 15 district heads and representatives of communities across the area council had been mobilised to show their commitment.
Speaking before the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, the monarch said the people had made their demands and the government had met them.
“Politics is a game of demand and supply. It was in this town hall that we made demands. At commissioning grounds and groundbreaking events, we made demands, and those demands have been met. It is our turn to supply.
“You have restored the dignity of the people of the FCT and placed us in a vantage position to relate with our counterparts across the country. Today, we are recognised among traditional institutions in Nigeria. Personally, I have served in more than six committees of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria because of this promotion,” he said.
He disclosed that his own appointment received presidential approval after delays, describing himself as one of the beneficiaries of the administration.
The monarch commended Wike for championing the legal framework that created a full-fledged civil service in the FCT, saying it had opened the door for indigenes to rise to top positions.
He cited the appointment of Florence Okonkwo as Permanent Secretary in the Transportation Secretariat, and of a Kwali indigene as Acting Director of Works.
“Today, we have a civil service with promising career opportunities, a civil service that allows our people to rise to the highest levels of the career structure. For this, we are grateful.
“For 50 years, we had been recognised as what the United Nations would describe as non-existent people because we live in a country where we do not have a state. But President Tinubu, using the instruments of the Constitution, recognised the need for our inclusion, and one of our own, Honourable Jisalo, was appointed to sit in the highest boardroom of this country. It was the first of its kind,” he said.
He also praised the tax reforms of the Tinubu administration, saying they helped to raise the FCT’s internally generated revenue from about N9 billion to over N40 billion.
According to him, the extra revenue enabled the Area Councils to clear outstanding salaries, build roads and execute development projects.
On infrastructure, he listed the Dr Ladi Kwali Road, the Sukuku-Yangoji Road and the A2-Pai, Pai-Gwagwalada, Gwagwalada-Dafa and Dafa-Yangoji roads. He said the completed roads had connected four to five political wards in Kwali, and that the Kwali-Yangoji Road, if completed, would link two more wards to the central ward.
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