Author: Gist Correspondent

A civil society organisation, the Peoples Alliance for Indigenous Rights (PAIR), has raised alarm over what it described as a collapse of governance in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene.

In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Adolor Asoro, the group said the FCT is currently facing multiple crises across key sectors, warning that the situation has become dire for residents of the nation’s capital.

According to Asoro, workers in the FCT are presently on strike, while the FCT Minister has resorted to legal action instead of dialogue, further worsening industrial tensions.

He recalled that primary schools in the FCT were recently shut for over three months due to unresolved disputes between teachers and area councils, a situation that reportedly led to the loss of an entire academic term for pupils in public schools.

The PAIR coordinator also noted that although resident doctors recently suspended their strike, other health workers remain on industrial action, placing the health and wellbeing of Abuja residents at serious risk.

Asoro further alleged that residents have been exposed to health hazards, as public taps have been dispensing untreated water since November 2025, attributing the problem to the non-release of funds to the water board.

He said secondary school students are equally affected, lamenting that teachers and exam markers for past external examinations have not been paid since last year, thereby undermining proper preparation for future examinations.

The group also decried the deteriorating state of health facilities in the FCT, as well as the growing refuse problem on major streets, which it blamed on the non-payment of sanitation workers.

Asoro added that the rising crime rate in the FCT poses a serious threat to public safety and undermines President Tinubu’s efforts to promote Abuja as a preferred global destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions.

The group urged the president to intervene decisively to restore effective governance and safeguard the welfare of residents in the Federal Capital Territory.