Armed with presidential backing, the former Rivers State governor has turned Nigeria’s capital into a showcase of aggressive tax enforcement, rapid infrastructure rollout and brazen political muscle.
As the first southerner to be appointed minister of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory since 1976, firebrand politician Nyesom Wike has moved swiftly to remake Abuja’s infrastructure and politics in his own image.
Federal tax officials were left stunned as staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), flanked by journalists and police officers, recently stormed their offices, accused them of failing to pay property tax and sealed off the premises. But the crackdown didn’t stop there. The enforcement team proceeded to shut down the headquarters of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), before targeting the China Cultural Centre and Access Bank, evicting staff and customers alike.
At a hotel in the central business district, guests were chased out of their rooms with nothing but the clothes on their backs as FCTA officials locked the gates. The officials said they were acting on orders from Wike, taking possession of more than 4,700 properties across Abuja over alleged non-payment of property taxes. Among those targeted are buildings owned by at least 34 foreign missions, a move that has raised diplomatic eyebrows and intensified questions about Wike’s aggressive approach to governance.
It was a scene unprecedented in the history of Abuja, a dramatic show of force that left little doubt: there’s a new sheriff in town.
“It does not matter the blackmail; I will do everything possible to make people pay their ground rent,” Wike declared, defending the crackdown. He insisted that without compliance, the FCTA would struggle to meet its obligations, from fixing roads to maintaining hospitals.
Inundated with several calls, President Bola Tinubu issued a statement giving all affected companies a two-week grace period to pay up. Despite this, not all the properties were reopened.
“We will not take this lightly… This is a clear attempt to undermine democracy, and we will hold them accountable,” said the main opposition PDP.
Abuja rapid development
Frustrated by overpopulation, crumbling infrastructure and chronic traffic congestion in Lagos, the Nigerian government in 1976 resolved to relocate the capital to a more central location. Abuja, in the heart of the country’s North Central region and originally home to the Gbagyi and other minority ethnic groups, was chosen as a neutral ground.
Construction of the new capital progressed slowly, but it wasn’t until 1991, after a botched coup attempt, that then-military president Ibrahim Babangida officially relocated the seat of government to Abuja. The city witnessed rapid development, especially in the city centres, with new roads and bridges, and was generally more organised and temperate than Lagos. The relocation of federal institutions from Lagos also led to an influx of civil servants, politicians, diplomats and others to Abuja.
Although not officially designated as a state, Abuja enjoys many of the privileges of one, except that it has no parliament or an elected governor. Instead, a minister appointed by the president oversees the territory, while local councillors are elected to manage municipal affairs. Despite its status, Abuja has long relied almost entirely on federal allocations for revenue. This meant that the capital city never really had to pursue an aggressive enforcement of local taxes since money often came from the central government every month.
But Wike has moved to upend Abuja’s traditionally restrained approach to enforcement, deploying the same hardline tactics he used as governor of Rivers State. In office, he demolished hotels that breached Covid-19 restrictions and sealed off properties linked to opposition figures under the pretext of unpaid taxes.
Critics accuse him of highhandedness and political intimidation, but Wike insists the results speak for themselves, claiming Abuja’s internally generated revenue has jumped by more than 170% since he took office in August 2023.
“Wike has refused to stop this behaviour of forceful enforcements as he did while he was governor of Rivers State,” says lawyer Deji Adeyanju who has led protests against the minister.
“Even the so-called projects he boasts of doing are nothing major compared to the funds at his disposal,” he adds.
Wike is ‘Mr Project’
Wike also secured Tinubu’s approval to remove the FCT ministry from the Treasury Single Account, a move that gave him direct access to funds without constant clearance from the presidency. Tinubu has defended the decision, arguing that it has enabled faster delivery of infrastructure projects across the capital.
He says he wants to deliver Abuja to the president at the next elections, but he has relegated the natives of Abuja. How does he plan on delivering?
New bus stops, bridges and roads, both in urban and rural areas, are now being built as well as a new villa for the vice president. Billboards bearing Wike’s oversized image have been installed in several parts of Abuja, celebrating him as “Mr Project”.
However, he has come under severe criticism for focusing mainly on infrastructure while critical issues like education, health and security have been largely unattended to. Allegations of land grabbing and allocating land to his cronies have also continued to dominate local headlines.
Political remake
Beyond reshaping Abuja’s economic structure, Wike is also redrawing its political and administrative architecture. With the president’s backing, he established a distinct civil service for the Federal Capital Territory, complete with its head of service and permanent secretaries. The move dismantled long-standing barriers that had limited career progression for FCT civil servants.
With election season on the horizon, the firebrand minister is now eyeing a fresh round of political reforms. Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, Abuja had consistently backed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in presidential elections until 2023, when residents broke with tradition and voted overwhelmingly for Peter Obi’s Labour Party.
As FCT minister, Wike says one of his major tasks is to deliver the nation’s capital to the APC in the 2027 election. To this end, he has ensured the defection of all elected council officials in the Abuja Municipal Area Council from the PDP to the APC. He plans to deliver the FCT in the council elections, which take place in February 2026.
But Isaac David, a spokesman for the Abuja Original Inhabitants Youths and Empowerment Organisation, tells The Africa Report that while Wike has received two appointments for Abuja natives, who remain largely marginalised.
“He says he wants to deliver Abuja to the president at the next elections, but he has relegated the natives of Abuja. How does he plan on delivering?” David asks.
David says there is a need to change Nigeria’s constitution such that the FCT minister is elected and not appointed because Wike has become too powerful and is only accountable to the president.
(The Africa Report)
