Tinubu defends FCTA’s TSA exit, says policy fast-tracked Abuja projects

President Bola Tinubu on Monday defended his administration’s decision to remove the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), saying the policy has accelerated project delivery, improved financial flexibility and driven the rapid transformation of Abuja.

The President also dismissed claims that his administration was interfering in the judiciary through the provision of infrastructure, insisting that supporting the justice sector is a constitutional responsibility of the Executive, not an encroachment on judicial independence.

Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, spoke while commissioning a new Office Annex for the Body of Benchers and 10 units of four-bedroom staff quarters at the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja.

Reflecting on the decision to exempt the FCTA from the TSA, Tinubu said the policy was initially met with scepticism but has since delivered measurable results through the faster execution of infrastructure projects in the nation’s capital.

“When we pulled the FCT Administration out of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), there were sceptics. There were those who questioned the wisdom of that financial liberation.

“But we did it because we knew that local administration must have the liquidity, the speed and the corporate flexibility to interface with financial institutions and deliver critical projects without bureaucratic strangulation. Today, the results are glaring,” the President said.

Tinubu said the policy has enabled the FCT Administration to respond more efficiently to development needs, adding that the transformation witnessed across Abuja validates the decision.

He commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for translating the policy into visible development, saying the minister has expanded the scope of infrastructure beyond roads to include strategic institutions that strengthen governance and the administration of justice.

The President particularly praised Wike for resolving the long-standing land title challenge facing the Nigerian Law School by facilitating the issuance of its Certificate of Occupancy after years without formal documentation.

“When I appointed Minister Wike, I gave him a clear mandate to transform Abuja into a modern, functional and world-class capital city. Over the last three years, the scale of infrastructural development, urban renewal and project delivery in the FCT has been unmatched,” he said.

Speaking during the commissioning of the Body of Benchers’ Office Annex, Tinubu rejected suggestions that the Executive’s provision of infrastructure for the judiciary amounted to interference in another arm of government.

“Let me be absolutely clear: the provision of infrastructure for the legal community and the judiciary is not an interference in the independence of another arm of government.

“Rather, it is a constitutional and collaborative duty of the Executive to ensure that those who interpret and uphold our laws are provided with an environment that fosters operational efficiency and excellence,” he stated.

At the Nigerian Law School, the President stressed that improving the welfare of staff and expanding infrastructure are critical to producing competent legal professionals.

“We cannot build a world-class legal system with dilapidated infrastructure,” he said.

Tinubu described the newly commissioned staff quarters as the first phase of a broader intervention at the institution, disclosing that the Federal Government is funding a new auditorium, constructing additional student hostels and digitising the Law School’s academic and administrative operations.

He added that similar investments are being implemented across the justice sector, including the construction of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, magistrates’ courts and residential quarters for judicial officers.

According to the President, the projects underscore his administration’s commitment to strengthening the institutions that sustain Nigeria’s democracy.

“We promised not just to govern, but to reform. We promised to rebuild the broken structures of our institutional foundations,” Tinubu said.