Opinion Archives - Voice of Liberty NG

Beyond Infrastructure: Strengthening FCT’s Social Services and Human Development

September 30, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu Abuja’s development must be understood through the quality of life available to its residents. The attention now being given to healthcare, education and other essential services deserves recognition because these are the areas in which people experience government most personally. A family’s confidence in a public hospital or school says much about how effectively development is reaching ordinary citizens. In continuing the conversation on development beyond infrastructure, I believe the FCT Minister’s growing emphasis on social services is particularly significant. It connects the visible transformation of…

Wike: End of 16yr-wait for Apo-Karshi road

September 25, 2026 Aminu Imam

How purposeful leadership is reviving abandoned projects and extending development to FCT satellite communities By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu Some infrastructure projects are measured not only by their length or financial value, but by the years of hardship endured by the people waiting for their completion. The Apo–Karshi Road is one such project. First awarded in 2010, the road remained uncompleted for approximately 16 years. For residents of Apo, Karshi and surrounding communities, the prolonged delay translated into difficult journeys, traffic congestion, increased transportation costs and lost economic opportunities. What should…

Beyond Roads and Bridges: Wike’s LEAD-P approval builds FCT’s human infrastructure

September 17, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu The true strength of any government is measured not only by the infrastructure it builds, but also by the quality of the people and institutions entrusted with sustaining those achievements. Roads, bridges and public facilities are indispensable, but their long-term value depends on a capable, ethical and forward-looking public service. It is against this background that the approval granted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for the commencement of the FCT Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme—popularly known as FCT LEAD-P—deserves…

Abuja’s Growing Population, Development Abuses and the Urgent Infrastructure Response

September 10, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu Abuja is growing—and growing rapidly. With that growth comes an uncomfortable but unavoidable reality: infrastructure planned and provided for a much smaller population is today under enormous pressure. Roads, drainage systems, transportation networks, waste-management facilities and other essential services must now respond to demands far beyond what was envisaged decades ago. The recent flooding along the Airport Road axis, Lugbe and Lokogoma has once again brought this reality into sharp focus. While increasingly intense rainfall cannot be ignored, the challenge goes beyond the weather. Rapid population…

Beyond Personal Ambition: Making Women’s Advocacy a National Development Agenda

August 23, 2026August 23, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu Women’s advocacy in Africa has reached a point where we must ask an important question: Are we building a movement that will outlive individual advocates, or are we creating platforms that rise and fall with personalities? The distinction is important. When advocacy for women’s inclusion becomes too closely identified with an individual, political party, social class or personal ambition, it can easily be misunderstood as a struggle for positions. But when it is anchored in institutions, laws, national development and measurable benefits for society, it becomes…

Citizens’ Responsibilities in the Face of Massive Infrastructure Development in FCT

July 29, 2026July 29, 2026 Aminu Imam

The transformation currently taking place across the Federal Capital Territory is a clear demonstration of what purposeful leadership can achieve. Under the leadership of the Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, the territory has witnessed an unprecedented wave of infrastructure development, including the construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, water projects, public buildings, and other critical facilities aimed at improving the quality of life for residents. While the government has the constitutional responsibility to provide infrastructure and essential public services, citizens also have corresponding responsibilities. Development is…

FCT @ 50: Renewed Hope, Purposeful Leadership and the Socio-Economic Transformation of Abuja

July 23, 2026July 23, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu As the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) marks fifty years of its creation, Abuja stands today as a compelling symbol of national unity, strategic planning, and purposeful governance. From a modest vision conceived in 1976, the nation’s capital has evolved into one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities. Yet, perhaps no period in its recent history has witnessed the scale, speed, and geographical spread of infrastructure delivery recorded under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Renewed Hope Agenda, implemented in the FCT by the Minister of…

Project Breathe Clean Air Abuja: How Clean Cooking Is Transforming Lives Across Six Area Councils

July 12, 2026July 12, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu Across communities in the FCT, a quiet but significant transformation is taking place in thousands of homes. Kitchens once filled with smoke from firewood, charcoal and kerosene are gradually giving way to cleaner, safer and healthier cooking with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Through the ‘Project Breathe Clean Air Abuja’, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), working through the Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), in partnership with IHS Nigeria (Towers of Strength), has successfully distributed more than 10,000 cooking gas cylinders to vulnerable households across the six…

From the Grassroots Up: Why Bottom-Up Policy Formulation Is Delivering Better Results in the FCT

July 5, 2026July 5, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu One of the greatest challenges of public policy in developing countries is not necessarily the shortage of resources but the disconnect between government decisions and the actual needs of the people. For many years, development planning in Nigeria largely followed a top-down approach in which government officials designed projects from their offices and expected communities to accept and utilise them. While this model produced some successes, it also resulted in numerous projects that failed to achieve their intended objectives because the beneficiaries were not sufficiently involved…

Leadership Beyond the Office: Why presence on the ground matters

June 30, 2026June 30, 2026 Aminu Imam

By Dr. Jumai Ahmadu In every organization, whether public or private, leadership ultimately revolves around one fundamental question: how can leaders ensure that plans are translated into results? For decades, leadership has been associated with the image of executives seated behind large desks, reviewing reports, attending meetings, and issuing directives. While these functions remain important, experience has consistently shown that some of the most impactful leaders are those who spend considerable time beyond the confines of their offices, engaging directly with operations, people, and projects. The difference between these two…