Tinubu defends FCT’s TSA exit, commissions Body of Benchers Annex, Law School Quarters

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: President Bola Tinubu has defended his decision to remove the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA from the Treasury Single Account TSA. 

Tinubu disclosed this on Monday when he commissioned two separate judiciary and legal sector projects in Abuja, insisting that providing infrastructure for the legal profession does not amount to executive interference in the judiciary.

The president was represented at both events by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.

At the commissioning of an Office Annex for the Body of Benchers and 10 units of four-bedroom staff quarters at the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Tinubu said the FCT’s exit from the TSA had unlocked the financial flexibility needed to fast-track critical infrastructure and transform Abuja into a modern capital city.

“When we pulled the FCT Administration out of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), there were skeptics. 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,” Tinubu said.

He credited the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCTA, Barr. Nyesom Wike, with translating the policy into tangible projects, including resolving the Nigerian Law School’s long-standing land title challenge 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.

Tinubu dismissed suggestions that providing infrastructure for the judiciary amounted to executive interference, describing it instead as a constitutional duty.

“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 said.

On the Law School staff quarters, he said decent accommodation for staff was essential to producing competent legal professionals, stressing that “we cannot build a world-class legal system with dilapidated infrastructure.”

He disclosed that the Federal Government is funding a new auditorium, additional student hostels and the digitisation of the Law School’s academic and administrative operations, alongside similar interventions across the justice sector, including the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, magistrates’ courts and residential quarters for judges.

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

At the commissioning of the Body of Benchers’ Office Annex in Abuja’s Institution and Research District, Tinubu struck a similar note, describing the project as an affirmation of his administration’s commitment to the rule of law and institutional independence.

“It is with profound honour and a great sense of national purpose that I stand before you today to officially commission this state-of-the-art Office Annex for the Body of Benchers,” he said.

“Today’s ceremony is not merely a celebration of a beautiful edifice crafted with architectural excellence. It is a resounding affirmation of our administration’s steadfast commitment to the rule of law, the independence of our institutions, and the dignity of the Nigerian legal profession.”

He said his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda recognises that democracy can only flourish where institutions are strong, independent and adequately equipped. “When we took the oath of office, we promised Nigerians a Renewed Hope. We made it clear that democracy cannot thrive in a vacuum; it requires strong, resilient and well-equipped institutions to anchor it,” he said.

Describing the Body of Benchers as standing “at the very apex” of the legal profession’s institutional framework, Tinubu disclosed that the FCTA had also approved two 300-capacity hostels for the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, completed the access road linking the Body of Benchers Secretariat to Nile University, and commenced work on a new fire service station for the district.

He again commended Wike, listing the Court of Appeal Complex, Judges’ Quarters and the Outer Southern Expressway among landmark FCT projects. “The timely completion and handover of this Body of Benchers Annex is yet another feather in that cap of accelerated governance. It shows that when leadership is focused, things get done, and they get done right,” he said.

Tinubu urged the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Olorogun Albert Akpomudje SAN, and its members to use the facility as a centre for justice, mentorship and legal reform, pledging that “my administration will continue to play its part, ensuring that our judicial officers are well-housed, well-remunerated and provided with the tools to dispense justice without fear or favour.”

Earlier, Wike attributed the project’s delivery to Tinubu’s support and prompt release of funds.

He recalled that the proposal was initiated by former Body of Benchers Chairman, Chief Adegboyega Solomon Awomolo, SAN, who had appealed for additional office accommodation after the annual budget had already been passed.

“Luckily, he prayed very well and Mr. President said, ‘Put it in the supplementary budget.’ That was approved by the National Assembly, and today we are here commissioning the project,” Wike said.

He added that a separate request to ease traffic congestion around the institution had already been addressed through a new road scheduled for commissioning by the Vice President, and assured the Body of Benchers of government’s readiness to consider further requests.

Akpomudje described the annex as a significant intervention that would strengthen legal education, professional discipline and the administration of justice, stressing the need for continued collaboration between government and development partners.

Delivering the vote of thanks, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, described the annex as a landmark investment in Nigeria’s legal profession that would serve as a centre for service, mentorship, ethical standards and professional excellence.