A Nigerian civil society organisation has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene urgently in what it describes as a deepening governance crisis in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The group, the Peoples Alliance for Indigenous Rights (PAIR), says ongoing strikes, failing public services and rising insecurity have left residents of the capital facing serious hardship.
In a statement released on Wednesday, PAIR’s National Coordinator, Adolor Asoro, said essential services in Abuja were close to collapse. He accused the FCT administration of failing to resolve disputes with workers and instead resorting to legal action.
“Workers are on strike, and rather than engage with them, the minister has taken them to court,” Mr Asoro said.
He pointed to the prolonged closure of public primary schools in the FCT, which he said lasted more than three months due to unresolved disagreements between teachers and area councils. According to the group, the shutdown led to pupils losing an entire academic term.
The statement also raised concerns about the healthcare system. While resident doctors recently ended a strike, Mr Asoro said other health workers were still off duty, putting the lives of residents at risk.
PAIR further warned of a public health emergency, claiming that untreated water has been supplied to homes through public taps since November 2025 because funds were not released to the water board.
The organisation also highlighted deteriorating environmental conditions in the capital, saying rubbish is piling up on major streets due to unpaid sanitation workers. It added that health facilities are in decline and that crime levels have risen sharply.
“The high crime rate undermines the president’s efforts to project Abuja as a global destination for meetings, conferences and international events,” Mr Asoro said.
The group called on President Tinubu to step in to restore essential services and address what it described as a growing governance failure in Nigeria’s capital city.
