Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has handed down tough directives to the newly inaugurated chairmen of the six Area Councils, ordering them to reside in their respective councils and warning them against tampering with council funds.
Speaking on Monday night during the inauguration of the council chairmen elected in the February polls, Wike declared that the era of running local governments from Abuja city was over.
He told the chairmen to remain in the communities that elected them and be accessible to the people at all times.
“Stay where you were elected and perform your work. Don’t tell your people, ‘come and see me in the city.’ You were not elected in the city. Stay at home so that your people can carry their problems to you,” Wike said.
The minister stressed that chairmen who stay in their councils would better understand local security challenges and assist in the fight against kidnappers and bandits.
“If you are not at home, you won’t know where the problems come from. You must stay at home and give information to security agencies, the FCT Minister and the FCTA,” he added.
Wike reminded the chairmen that they had a covenant with the electorate and must ensure that residents feel the impact of governance.
“Your people listened to you and voted for you. You owe them a duty to make them feel the impact of governance. It is not about wearing traditional clothes; it is time to work for your people,” he stated.
The FCT Minister also issued a stern warning on financial management, insisting that no Area Council chairman has the authority to sign cheques or directly operate council accounts.
“Some of you here operate accounts. No executive chairman is allowed to sign chequebooks. Your role is to approve. Let no chairman put himself in trouble by signing cheques for withdrawals. You don’t have the authority,” he warned.
Wike further cautioned against secret withdrawals and backdoor financial dealings, saying any chairman caught engaging in such acts would face anti-corruption agencies.
“This is not the time you tell your treasurer or head of local government to meet you in a hotel and ask, ‘How much do we have?’ Remove this and keep this for me. It will no longer happen.
“Hear it now: if I know, I will call the EFCC and I will call the ICPC to look into your matter,” he declared.
The minister, however, assured the chairmen that the FCT Administration would not interfere with their statutory allocations but vowed to closely monitor how public funds are managed.
Wike urged the council bosses to focus on delivering projects, improving security and bringing development closer to the grassroots, warning that Area Council administration would no longer be “business as usual.”
