Youth groups in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) held a peaceful march on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Tuesday, calling for greater accountability and transparent budgeting practices ahead of this weekend’s Area Council elections.
Demonstrators walked from the Federal Secretariat to the FCTA headquarters, carrying placards with messages such as “Functional local governments, better communities” and highlighting the role of Area Councils in delivering primary healthcare, basic education, sanitation, and infrastructure.
The march, led by youth advocate Mr Emmanuel Obiabo, focused on ensuring that funds allocated to the FCT’s six Area Councils are managed transparently and serve the public effectively. The protesters noted that while the 2024 Supreme Court judgment affirmed full financial autonomy for local governments nationwide, implementation by state governments remains inconsistent.
“We are demanding that the FCT, as the nation’s capital, exemplifies proper implementation of local government autonomy,” a representative stated during the protest. “Area Council leaders must adopt open budgeting. While they have rights to allocations and administrative control, they have a duty to ensure transparent and accountable financial systems.”
The youths explained they currently monitor federal allocations to local governments through public platforms but lack visibility into how those funds are spent. They stressed that local governments, as the third tier of government closest to citizens, are critical to grassroots development.
The protesters presented a charter of demands to the FCTA’s Mandate Secretary for Area Council Services. Key calls include:
• Mandatory public disclosure of budgets, allocations, expenditures, and internally generated revenue.
• Timely execution of outstanding community development projects.
• Prioritisation of routine maintenance for roads, markets, waste management, and public facilities, specifically in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Kuje, and Gwagwalada.
• Strengthened delivery of primary healthcare and basic education across all Area Councils.
The group affirmed that sustained advocacy will continue until accountability and transparency become standard practice in local governance. The protest underscores growing civil society pressure for genuine decentralisation and fiscal responsibility as the FCT prepares to elect new Area Council chairmen this Saturday. Observers note that the implementation of the Supreme Court’s local government autonomy ruling remains a pivotal national issue, with the FCT’s approach being closely watched.
