Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that the provision of infrastructure for the judiciary by the FCT Administration constitutes executive interference.
Speaking at the inauguration of the design, construction, and furnishing of an annex office for the Body of Benchers in Abuja on Friday, Wike clarified that the FCT Administration also provides facilities for other arms of government, including the National Assembly, as part of its mandate to support national development.
“As we speak today, it is the Federal Capital Territory that is providing the official residence of the legislature.
It is also the FCT that is building the new complex of the National Assembly,” Wike said. “At the end of the day, these projects will be handed over to the respective arms of government to manage.
This is not about interference but about fostering development.”
Wike further disclosed that the annex office project for the Body of Benchers was included in the 2023 supplementary budget approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and passed by the National Assembly.
“This project is part of the supplementary budget assented to by Mr. President on November 8, 2023. There is nothing hidden about this initiative,” he stressed, expressing gratitude to President Tinubu for his support.
The Minister assured stakeholders that the project would be completed within its 10-month timeline and announced plans to provide residential apartments for lecturers at the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, a project that has also received presidential approval.
In response to a request by the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, Wike committed to constructing a fire station to serve institutions in the area, directing its inclusion in the FCT’s 2025 budget.
Awomolo, in his remarks, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and the FCT Minister for prioritizing infrastructure development for the judiciary, the Nigerian Law School, and the Body of Benchers. He highlighted the importance of collaboration between the three arms of government.
“No arm of government is so sufficiently endowed to perform its constitutional functions alone. Support and collaboration from the Executive are necessary and do not undermine the independence of other arms of government,” Awomolo said.
