Kingibe Alleges Wike Borrowed for FCT Without National Assembly Approval as Abuja Debt Surges

ABUJA — A fresh dispute over the financial management of the Federal Capital Territory has emerged after Senator Ireti Kingibe alleged that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike incurred loans for Abuja without first obtaining the approval of the National Assembly.

Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate, made the allegation during an interview with Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, where she questioned the level of legislative oversight over the FCT Administration.

Her claim comes against the backdrop of a sharp increase in the FCT’s domestic debt. Data from Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO), as analysed in a recent report, show that the territory’s domestic debt rose from N88.51 billion in September 2023 to N389.88 billion by March 2026 — an increase of about N301.37 billion, or 340.5 per cent.

However, the available debt figures do not, by themselves, establish that every increase resulted from borrowing personally authorised by Wike or that the borrowing was undertaken without the legally required approvals. Kingibe’s allegation therefore raises a question that will require documentary clarification from the FCT Administration, DMO and the National Assembly.

Kingibe questions how FCT borrowing was authorised

According to Kingibe, she had drawn the attention of the Senate leadership to what she described as borrowing by the FCT Administration.

She said she had not seen Wike appear before the Senate to request approval for such borrowing, arguing that the National Assembly has an oversight role over the administration of the capital.

The senator said the minister had appeared before the Senate Committee on the FCT, but maintained that she had not seen him come before the Senate plenary to seek approval for borrowing.

The allegation is particularly significant because the FCT occupies a unique constitutional position. Unlike Nigeria’s states, Abuja does not have its own elected governor or state House of Assembly. Under Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution, the National Assembly exercises the legislative powers that would ordinarily belong to a state House of Assembly in relation to the FCT.

That arrangement makes questions about the approval, oversight and reporting of FCT borrowing especially important.

What the DMO figures show

The DMO data provide an important financial backdrop to Kingibe’s allegation.

When Wike assumed office as FCT minister in August 2023, the territory’s domestic debt stood at N88.51 billion as of September 30, 2023.

The debt initially moved only modestly higher and subsequently declined during parts of 2024. It fell to N53.43 billion in September 2024 before beginning another upward trajectory.

By September 2025, the figure had reached N78.93 billion.

The major increase occurred in the final quarter of 2025. FCT domestic debt rose to N188.86 billion by December 2025, before climbing again to N389.88 billion by March 2026.

The result was a dramatic change in Abuja’s position among Nigeria’s sub-national debtors. The FCT moved from being the ninth-least indebted sub-national government in September 2023 to the second-highest domestic debtor by March 2026, according to the DMO figures reviewed in the report.

The debt increase comes as FCT revenue also grows

Another element of the controversy is the FCT’s revenue position.

An analysis of Federation Account Allocation Committee figures covering August 2023 to March 2026 showed that the FCT received about N432.13 billion in FAAC allocations during the period.

The amount consisted of N47.69 billion between August and December 2023, N136.79 billion in 2024, N204.16 billion in 2025 and N43.49 billion in the first three months of 2026.

Those figures do not represent the FCT’s total income because they exclude internally generated revenue and other possible sources such as opening balances, grants, aid and loans.

The FCT also received N24.28 billion in April and N30.62 billion in May 2026, bringing its FAAC receipts for those two months to N54.90 billion.

The combination of rising revenue and rising debt is therefore likely to intensify demands for greater transparency over how the territory’s finances are structured.

What borrowing rules say

The question of approval is not simply a political disagreement.

The DMO’s published borrowing guidelines specifically address borrowing by the FCT and its agencies. For external borrowing, the guidelines require approval by the FCT Executive Committee, with the borrowing proposal stating the amount, purpose and repayment plan. The guidelines also refer to the Fiscal Responsibility Act and other applicable legal provisions.

The FCT’s constitutional arrangement further complicates the issue because the National Assembly performs the legislative functions normally exercised by a state legislature.

This means that determining whether any particular FCT loan was lawfully contracted requires examining the specific borrowing facility, its lender, approval documents, legal basis, purpose, repayment structure and whether the relevant legislative requirements were met.

A rise in DMO-recorded debt should not automatically be interpreted as proof of an unauthorised loan.

Wike has previously presented borrowing plans to lawmakers

There is also evidence that borrowing-related expenditure has previously been presented to the National Assembly as part of FCT budget proposals.

In May 2025, Wike appeared before the Senate and House committees on the FCT to defend the territory’s N1.78 trillion 2025 budget proposal.

The proposal included N80 billion for SUKUK-related projects and N250 billion in commercial loans intended to support the completion of capital projects in the FCT and satellite towns.

This history is important because it demonstrates that borrowing plans connected to FCT projects have, at least on previous occasions, featured in budget presentations to lawmakers.

It does not, however, answer Kingibe’s specific allegation concerning loans allegedly contracted between August 2023 and March 2026 without the required National Assembly approval.

That distinction is crucial.

National Assembly has continued to scrutinise the FCT budget

The National Assembly has remained involved in the approval of the FCT’s annual statutory budgets.

In March 2026, the Senate approved the second reading of the FCT’s N2.2 trillion 2026 appropriation bill, with the proposal including N1.657 trillion for capital projects. The National Assembly subsequently approved a total 2026 FCT budget of approximately N2.285 trillion in May.

The legislative process also includes reporting requirements intended to strengthen oversight of how appropriated funds are used.

Consequently, the latest dispute is not about whether lawmakers have any role in FCT finances. They clearly do. The unresolved issue is whether specific borrowing arrangements were undertaken outside the approval process that applies to them.

Why the allegation matters

The controversy goes beyond the political disagreement between Kingibe and Wike.

Borrowing can be an important tool for financing major infrastructure, particularly in a rapidly developing capital city such as Abuja. The central issue is whether borrowed funds are tied to productive projects, whether the terms are sustainable and whether citizens can clearly establish where the money went.

The DMO figures show a substantial increase in the FCT’s domestic debt. At the same time, publicly available financial information has not provided a complete picture of every aspect of the territory’s finances.

A recent review found gaps in the availability of successive FCT budget documents, budget-performance reports and audited financial statements on the administration’s website since Wike assumed office. Those gaps make it more difficult for independent observers to determine precisely how additional liabilities relate to specific projects, revenue and expenditure.

For residents of Abuja, the practical question is therefore not merely how much the FCT owes, but what the debt financed and how much it will ultimately cost taxpayers to repay.

A wider political dispute

Kingibe’s allegation also comes amid increasingly public disagreements between her and Wike over the administration of Abuja.

The senator has recently criticised aspects of the FCT’s response to flooding and development control, while Wike has publicly challenged her criticisms and questioned her performance as a legislator.

The political tension means that claims made by either side require careful examination against documentary evidence rather than being treated as established facts.

For the borrowing allegation, the most important documents would include loan agreements, approval resolutions, budget provisions, DMO records, FCT financial statements and relevant National Assembly records.

What happens next?

Kingibe’s allegation puts renewed pressure on the relevant institutions to clarify the FCT’s borrowing history.

The key questions now are:

• What specific loans were contracted by the FCT between August 2023 and March 2026?
• Who were the lenders?
• What were the amounts, interest rates and repayment periods?
• What projects were financed?
• What approvals were obtained before each facility was contracted?
• Were the loans included in approved FCT budgets or supplementary appropriations?
• What portion of the N389.88 billion domestic debt represents new borrowing during Wike’s tenure?
• How much of the debt has already been repaid?

Until those questions are answered with official documentation, Kingibe’s claim remains an allegation, while the sharp increase in FCT domestic debt is independently supported by DMO data.

The emerging debate therefore places financial transparency at the centre of the FCT’s administration — and could trigger closer scrutiny from lawmakers, auditors, civil society groups and Abuja residents.

This report will be updated if the FCT Administration, Nyesom Wike, the Debt Management Office or the National Assembly provides a substantive response to the allegation.