By Ibrahim Biu
Millions of Nigerians have had their lives positively impacted upon since Nigeria re-embraced democratic governance in 1999. In Abuja, a lot is being done by the Federal Capital Administration to deliver the diviidends of democracy, tangible and intangible.
Under the FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, unlike in the times of many of his predecessors, the FCTA has been very fair in terms of adhering to the rule of law in issues brought to its attention. He has been deliberately careful and painstaking in all his actions in order to not only protect the Abuja Master Plan but to also implement it successfully according to the expectations of those who crafted Abuja.
As a democrat, Senator Bala has exhibited respect for the rule of law and due process as could be seen by the decisions earlier taken and later reversed because the courts ruled them out of order. It is on record that any achievements recorded so far by FCT administration were largely through careful planning and underscored by a will to abide the master plan.
Some residents of Abuja recently expressed their satisfaction with Bala’s performance so far, describing it as a job well done. They agreed he had demonstrated sufficient guts by standing up to entrenched interests that had enjoyed impunity until now. Though he is simple and on the quiet side, Bala has continued to surprise even his critics by implementing tough policies, all to give Abuja a befitting status.
So far, despite the paucity of funds, Senator Bala has continued to manage the sudden population explosion in Abuja which has overstretched existing social amenities in the federal capital city. The minister is trying to solve this problem through the introduction of policies such as land swap and private-partnership programme (PPP) which would help in providing needed critical infrastructure.
No doubt, Senator Bala is respected by many due to his high personal integrity, open-mindedness and for running a transparent management despite certain difficult challenges which normally comes up here and there.
Ibrahim Biu wrote in from Jabi, Abuja
