Stories by Stanley Onyekwere
To ensure effective public delivery the FCT Minister, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has reaffirm FCT Administrations unwavering commitment towards improving staff welfare, and ensuring best ever conditions of service.
Wike asserted this yesterday, on the occasion of the 2025 International Labour (Workers’) Day celebration, in Abuja.
In his address delivered by the FCTA’s Head of Service, Mrs. Grace Adayilo, the Minister noted that on assumption of office in 2023, it has been his utmost priority to create a conducive working environment and improve welfare of the Territory’s staff.
According to him, the FCTA has taken deliberate steps to improve the working conditions of its staff and uplift their general well-being.
He listed some of FCTA’s recent efforts to include: prompt payment of salaries and pensions; staff training and capacity development; upgrading of workspaces and infrastructure; promotion and career progression.
“We have prioritized the timely payment of workers’ salaries and pensions, despite fiscal constraints. We ensured that all pensions and gratuities are paid with no arrears owed. We ensured full implementation of the new salary structure in line with the federal government’s policy on workers’ welfare, with all arrears paid. We understand that financial security is critical for personal stability and productivity.
“We have launched new training and re-skilling programmes across various secretariats, departments and agencies, equipping workers with the tools and knowledge to thrive in a rapidly evolving administrative and technological environment.
“In a bid to upscale capacity of doctors in our hospitals, we recently recruited sixty medical doctors for residency training programme across our hospitals in eight different specialties, including, internal medicine, general surgery, family medicine, psychiatry, ophthalmology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology as well as anaesthesiology.
“Several secretariats, departments, and agencies within the FCT have seen renovations and upgrades to their office environment to ensure safer, healthier, and more functional spaces for staff.
“We have instituted several measures aimed at facilitating professional growth for FCT workers. We are steadily concluding the staff regularisation exercise and soon after, the promotion exercise will commence. We are committed to implementing a transparent appraisal system to ensure that merit and diligence are rewarded fairly”, he stated.
He however, noted that the theme of this year’s celebration, “Reclaiming the Civic Space in the Midst of Economic Hardship,” was timely and deeply resonant, as challenges stakeholders to reflect on the importance of safeguarding democratic participation, transparency, and worker rights, even as they wade through economic challenges.
“Let me state that the FCT Administration (FCTA) recognises the economic realities confronting workers. In this context, reclaiming the civic space means ensuring that the voices of workers remain central to governance, policy-making, and economic reform.
“We remain open to constructive dialogue with organized labour. Civic space must never shrink in times of hardship—it must grow stronger through partnership, empathy, and mutual respect.
“ I want to reiterate that the FCT Administration will continue to prioritize the welfare of all its workers. Every worker, from the lowest rank to the highest, contributes immensely to the progress and development of the Federal Capital Territory.
“ It is only through your dedication, sacrifices, and resilience that we are able to build a better future for the FCT and Nigeria at large”, the Minister stressed.
