A leading civil society organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has strongly criticised the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration under Nyesom Wike, for spending ₦39 billion on a conference centre renovation while public school teachers remain unpaid and on strike.
In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, the group described the spending as both wasteful and insensitive, especially at a time when many civil servants, including teachers, have reportedly gone unpaid for over three months.
“How can any administration justify spending ₦39 billion on a single building when teachers have gone without pay for over three months?” asked Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA’s National Coordinator.
HURIWA said the project, now renamed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Conference Centre, symbolises misplaced priorities in governance. The group questioned how such a large sum could be allocated to a single building while public schools remain shut across the capital.
The group also condemned what it described as a breakdown of security in the territory, following a recent daylight attack by armed bandits at Gosa Market along Airport Road. According to local reports, traders and customers were assaulted before local vigilantes and military personnel intervened. The police have yet to make a public statement about the incident.
“The silence from the police after such a bold attack is alarming. It shows how deeply insecurity has taken root in the capital,” Onwubiko said.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the silence from the police and the apparent neglect of public education reflect a broader failure in governance. He accused the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, of focusing on vanity projects while the daily struggles of ordinary residents go unaddressed.
The group also pointed to the rising cost of living, unaffordable housing, and economic hardship affecting Abuja residents, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene by holding appointees accountable and redirecting attention to the needs of the people.
“The government must listen,” Onwubiko stated. “You cannot build billion-naira structures while the backbone of the society, its educators and workers, go hungry.”
No response has yet been issued by the FCT administration or the Minister regarding the group’s claims.