Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has called on European Union (EU) member states to deepen investment ties and strengthen cultural exchanges with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

Mr Wike made the call while speaking with EU heads of mission at a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

He highlighted investment opportunities in the FCT and Nigeria’s political landscape, noting the FCT’s position as a business-friendly capital city.

He listed investment opportunities, including real estate and housing, entertainment and tourism, agriculture, solid minerals, waste management, and others.

“I thank the European Union delegation to Nigeria for the continued partnership with the Nigerian government in advancing shared values of development, stability, and prosperity. The government has prioritised urban/rural development and infrastructure, security, education, health, social welfare, land administration reforms/revenue generation and rule of law.

“We have embarked on a deliberate and sustained investment in infrastructure as a catalyst for economic growth and social inclusion by expanding road networks, modernising public transport and improving water supply.

“As a priority too, the administration has strengthened security infrastructure through the building of 12 new fully equipped/furnished divisional police headquarters and officers’ quarters, two each in the six area councils,” he said.

Mr Wike described the amended electoral law as part of governance reforms aimed at further guaranteeing the integrity and credibility of electoral processes.

“In the newly amended Electoral Act, there is a provision for the electronic transmission of results. But because of our peculiarities, it was included that where electronic transmission fails, manual transmission can be used.

“Meanwhile, there is no such provision in the 2022 amended Electoral Act,” he said.

Mr Wike said that in a country like Nigeria, with an evolving democracy, opposition should not be seen as an avenue to cause or promote crises, but as a means to provide alternatives and guide the government.

The minister said that under President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s political trajectory was evolving towards a governance-focused paradigm where competence is prioritised over ethnic, partisan and religious considerations.

“Compared to earlier periods, there is a decline in highly volatile and rancorous politicking that characterised the relationship between the executive and the legislature.

“The relationship between these two key institutions has become that of ‘partners-in-progress’ in the making and implementation of policies and programmes for the welfare of Nigerians,” Mr Wike said.

He also highlighted the importance of a cordial relationship between the executive and the legislative arms of government.

On the policy direction of Mr Tinubu’s administration, the minister stated that the administration, in its Renewed Hope Agenda framework, implemented bold and difficult reforms aimed at repositioning the economy and improving citizens’ welfare.

“These include economic reforms and fiscal restructuring/discipline, which ensured subsidy removal to eliminate a long-standing but corruption-prone system and free up public funds.

“Others include unification of foreign exchange rates to stabilise the currency and tax reforms aimed at streamlining the tax system to improve revenue generation.

“It also included expansion of social and welfare interventions with initiatives like the conditional cash transfer and support for small and medium enterprises to cushion the effect of difficult economic reforms on vulnerable populations and student loans,” he said.

Mr Wike also said that sustained efforts were being made to strengthen security architecture, enhance inter-agency coordination and invest in intelligence gathering and technology.

(NAN)