My fellow Abuja Residents, we must all acknowledge that the FCT in general and the Federal Capital City (FCC) in particular have come a long way from the beautiful idea conceived in 1976, to a bustling growing modern city hosting a population of several millions and with an unmatched growth rate of any city in Nigeria.
However, it is also true that a number of things have not gone right with the development and management of the city, thus the legion of problems that today define the perception of the city in the eyes of its average resident or visitor. My pledge therefore as your humble servant, is to ensure that the administration of the FCT returns to the trajectory conceived by its Founding Fathers, which is for Abuja to be a symbol of Nigeria’s aspirations for unity and greatness.
My overriding objective during my tenure will be to facilitate an administration that promotes a modern and sustainable city, which is defined by a functional and integrated infrastructure, with viable self-funding and an economy capable of providing employment to our teeming youths. I will strive to surmount some of the most visible challenges facing the FCT particularly overstretched infrastructure due to rapid population growth, poor maintenance culture, poorly maintained roads, blocked water and sewer lines, poor waste management practices, influx of beggars and street hawkers and poorly maintained street and traffic lights system.
Greater attention would be given to the problem of commuter transportation, water supply to the city and satellite towns, uncompleted projects (including critical major infrastructure as well as Satellite Towns development projects) and ensure upgrade of all educational and health facilities. Our goal in the end is to make the quality of life more meaningful for the residents of the city in line with the social change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.
