As I continue to develop the series – it takes a minister – there are other significant developments. We now have the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in Nigeria. The thought that the virus could spread wild in Nigeria is quite scary. We have just too much to cope with already.

It is true that we have some great people and good experience (not the least from Ebola) to enable us to lean in and stop the spread, but in these circumstances, we cannot be well prepared. It is different this time. The epicentre of Coronavirus is in China, the world’s powerhouse and ‘supplier of last resort’. Coronavirus is now on every continent except Antarctica. Sadly, it is already costing lives.

There will be increased competition for resources (human expertise, material, and finance) among countries to fight the virus if the spread lingers. There are early indications of how the global spread of Coronavirus would affect the fundamentals of national and global economies. The major stock markets have already lost trillions of USD$ due to negative sentiments and the real and present impact on trade, supply and demand, and the bottom line of businesses. The evidence suggests that the outbreak of Coronavirus will have national and global health, social, economic and political ramifications.

For Nigeria, it is another frank reminder of why we should be in a hurry to strengthen health systems. The production of health happens more in the community than in health care facilities. Our ability to prevent and effectively stop the spread of germs that would do us harm in the future depends on the actions we took yesterday and are taking today in improving the social determinants of health. Therefore, the words, “Our vision is to build a first-class Capital City and Territory comparable to the best Capital Cities and Territories in the world”, can be inspiring.

The above is the vision of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. I found it on the website, www.fcda.gov.ng, following a simple Google search of “Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria, Website”. This was part of searching for information for this article on what the Ministry of the FCT was doing well, and what it could be doing better. A good website can be a powerful technological tool to communicate information and to deliver public services. It can help drive the operations of any organisation and it can transform the way the Ministry of the FCT responds to its vision. A first-class capital would develop infrastructure that is friendly to the environment. It would provide regular, accurate and up-to-date information, and deliver public services to the community and visitors. By creating an enabling environment, it can be catalytic to businesses and jobs. All of these are important to improving living standards and in determining health.

I found good information about the history of the FCT/Abuja and the geography of the city on the website, www.fcda.gov.ng. I found information on how the city is organised and how it is managed. I also found information on the development of physical infrastructure in the FCT/Abuja – lots of government construction – important to related supply chains and jobs. So I found information on ‘the WHAT’ and ‘the WHY’ of the FCT/Abuja, regarding its vision.

What I did not find on the website, www.fcda.gov.ng, is HOW all of the government efforts are translating into information and public services that people and the community need to improve living standards and health. I did not find information on what services (commercial and domestic) are available and how residents and visitors can have access.

It is possible that information and public services are available in the various departments and offices of the FCT. But this would be an inefficient way of running a modern city as expressed in its vision quoted earlier. Instead of serving customers proving routine information and services, the staff of the FCT would be more productive thinking through data for insights and ideas. With the emphasis on improving performance, the output can be assessed and measured and uploaded on the FCT website. Such output could be quality community communication and new/improved public services for the FCT community. The time and money spent commuting to FCT offices to access information and services can be saved. Face to face transactions can be reduced to improve transparency. The FCT can run a sustainable business model to reinvest in expanding and maintaining public services that businesses and the community need.

The FCT will continue to grow in population and diversity will increases. It will be a multicultural city. Managing the city will become increasingly complex. Decision-makers and managers need to put together the building blocks faster. Not just about the physical infrastructure of the city but more of the social infrastructure that would require to be vibrant and safe. This is because Abuja as in its vision is not just a city, it is the window into Nigeria about who we are and should be a model to other cities in Nigeria. The impression that people and businesses have of Abuja would drive sentiments. This can mean investments, jobs, and standard of living.

When the minister(s) of the FCT think(s) in these dimensions, data becomes important to decision-making. The FCT Abuja can be transformed into major hubs for transportation, finance and technology and one of the preferred destinations in the world for business. Given policy-space (the role of the National Assembly) and informed consent of the President, the minister(s) of the FCT and the governing board, could explore opportunities with the private sector and operational restructuring (would require the support of the National Assembly to remove bottlenecks) of districts to improve information access and public services.

This could mean segmenting the FCT/Abuja into smaller units of administration within districts to appoint capable public sector managers. These managers would be responsible for developing and executing an approved operational plan (within the masterplan of the FCT) under the supervision of the minister(s) and the guidance of the President (the elected authority). This would attract the best minds to be imaginative and creative (more of managerial bureaucrats and less of administrative bureaucrats) in attracting investments from strategic partners. This will expand infrastructure quicker, provide quality public services, network an FCT mini-ecosystem and unlocking business opportunities.

Below are some suggestions that the minister(s) and board of the FCT can consider to improve the website, www.fcda.gov.ng, to drive information and public service operations (including program streams and desk officers/contacts) and restructuring.

• Digital map of the FCT showing districts and the opportunities that exist.

• Portal for an ongoing online survey to get FCT residents and visitors involved in the development and progressive growth of the FCT. The community must be engaged and involved in a democracy. It is the people’s city. Projects and policies should not be dumped on the people.

• While information is provided on the management of the FCT on the website, www.fcda.gov.ng, in addition, information on the budgetary performance, voting and elections, demography and diversity, charities and volunteers, security, how to complain and petition, among others.

• There is nothing on public services, on the website, www.fcda.gov.ng. Public services are some of the most important functions of the FCT. Residence and visitors would assess the city based on their encounters with public services. It is important for accountability to Nigerians. Including these public services on the website, www.fcda.gov.ng, would create demand which would feedback on supply. To meet supply, the operations of the FCT would have to restructure for service to Nigerians. It is how to catalyse improvements in the processes and systems in public services that Nigerians need.

Below are some public service streams (strategic plan, information, regulating, monitoring and compliance, and service delivery) that the FCT should have desk officers, to manage the delivery streams online through the FCT website, www.fcda.gov.ng.

• Waste management and recycling – this service can be delivered with partners

• Parking in public spaces

• Planning and building compliance

• Schools (public and private – day-care, nursery, primary)

• Housing and environment (social housing development, tenancy, selling & buying houses, mortgages, empty properties, energy supply & efficiency, sanitation, water supply, and pollution)

• Social care and disability

• Public health and healthcare facilities (including mental health)

• Sports, recreation, parks, and hospitality

• Public and private libraries

• Emergency services (ambulance, fire service)

• Registrations (births, deaths, marriages and electoral register)

• Transportation (intercity and intracity)

• Licensing, permits and business supports

• Charities and clubs

• Jobs and volunteering

The FCT is constrained under the current statute. While it is important to set boundaries given what the FCT represents, it is also for what it represents and its vision, why the current statute should be reviewed.

We have continued to run Nigeria on rent from oil that we share and spend. Our population is growing faster than earnings from oil. Factors outside of our control would continue to create volatility in oil markets. Climate change is real and has implications for the future of oil. It is not complicated at all to understand that we can sustain our economy on USD$ earnings from the sale of oil.

We need to start producing most of what we consume. And we can because we have natural resources and talents. We should because we cannot afford this level of imports to consume — we don’t earn enough USD$ from exports; we cannot decent jobs for our teeming young people, and we face geopolitical risks. We must because our very existence depends on us producing to meet the demand for consumption. If we run out of USD$ and cannot borrow we will be in trouble. And yet it is real and scary that we can run out.

This is why we need another economic model. One that refocuses our attention on our people, our population and the talent density that we have. Let us remodel the FCT to be a viable city. Let us keep the boundaries in our laws on values and principles but let us allow the FCT to be self-sustaining, thrive, and be the model to other cities in Nigeria. Let the FCT be led by an elected mayor. Let us have the best people competing on ideas on how to achieve the vision of the FCT. Let the elected mayor be accountable to the people.

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