The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned what it described as growing insecurity, worsening economic hardship, and administrative neglect in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), blaming the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for fostering ?reckless impunity, gross fiscal irresponsibility, and unaccountable governance.?

In a strongly-worded statement issued Sunday in Abuja, HURIWA decried the alleged attack by armed bandits at Gosa Market along Airport Road, where traders and customers were reportedly assaulted in broad daylight. The group said the incident, which reportedly required the intervention of local vigilantes and soldiers, reflects a breakdown of law and order in the nation?s capital.

The association criticized the FCT Police Command for its silence on the attack, lamenting the lack of timely updates to the public and raising concerns over the police?s effectiveness in safeguarding lives and property in Abuja.

?This deafening silence from the police is both unacceptable and dangerous,? said Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA?s National Coordinator. ?When criminal gangs can brazenly invade a public market along one of Abuja?s busiest roads in broad daylight?and the police remain incommunicado?it proves that the FCT?s security architecture is collapsing under the weight of negligence.?

HURIWA also lashed out at Minister Wike for focusing on lavish infrastructure projects while ignoring pressing socioeconomic challenges. Citing the controversial N39 billion renovation of the International Conference Centre (ICC)?now renamed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Conference Centre?the group described the project as wasteful and opaque.

?How can any administration justify spending N39 billion on renovating a single conference facility when FCT public school teachers are being owed salaries for over three months?? Onwubiko queried. ?Where is the conscience of government when civil servants are being starved while politicians build monuments to themselves with public funds??

The rights group further criticized the failure to implement the newly approved minimum wage for FCT workers, noting that many civil servants continue to suffer amid rising inflation and cost-of-living challenges.

?FCT primary schools have reportedly remained shut for three months because teachers haven?t been paid. The officially approved minimum wage has yet to be implemented. Those who build and sustain the capital?s economy are being punished while political elites enrich themselves,? Onwubiko said.

According to HURIWA, despite repeated promises of inclusive governance and urban renewal, Abuja residents are facing a deepening economic crisis. The housing deficit continues to rise, rent hikes go unregulated, and basic goods and services are becoming unaffordable for many.

?Where is the conscience of this administration?? HURIWA asked. ?The people are struggling to eat, workers are unpaid, markets are under siege, and all the Minister can showcase are grandiose projects built on the backs of the suffering poor.?

The group also condemned the Tinubu administration?s decision to exempt the FCT Administration from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, describing it as a violation of financial regulations that could fuel unchecked corruption.

?We are alarmed that President Tinubu has permitted the FCTA to retain its internally generated revenue, in breach of the TSA policy. This reckless move undermines transparency and invites embezzlement,? HURIWA declared.

The association urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch a thorough probe into the finances of the FCT Administration, including all revenue inflows and expenditures. It also called for investigations into widespread allegations of land racketeering involving top FCT officials and relatives of the Minister.

?The EFCC must rise above political interference and act in the interest of the Nigerian people. We are hearing disturbing allegations of land grabbing and fraudulent allocations linked to the FCT Minister and one of his sons. These claims must be independently investigated and not swept under the carpet,? HURIWA stated.

?No one is above the law. If the EFCC refuses to act, it becomes complicit in the alleged plunder of the Federal Capital Territory.?

HURIWA concluded by calling on President Tinubu to reevaluate his support for the FCT Minister and ensure that all governance processes in the capital are guided by transparency, rule of law, and public accountability.

?If this administration is serious about fighting corruption and securing the nation, it must immediately address the FCT?s descent into insecurity and elite exploitation. Human infrastructure is as vital as physical infrastructure. Until our workers are paid, our children return to school, our markets are safe, and public resources are managed transparently, there can be no meaningful development in the FCT,? the group warned.

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