Kehinde Fajobi
Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial district, has called for additional Senate seats to be allocated to Abuja.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, organised with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, Kingibe highlighted the challenges of representing the FCT as its sole senator in a male-dominated National Assembly.
“I would like to say that going into the second year, I am more conversant with the way things work in government. I’m better at acquiring resources in the National Assembly. Now I have more time to interface with my community. I must say I came to the FCT with a lot of goodwill,” she said.
Kingibe pointed out disparities in palliatives and project allocations, noting that states with multiple senators receive more resources than the FCT.
“Just like other senators, I received two trailers of fertiliser, which I distributed. I am also lobbying to see how I can get more for the FCT because I feel it is unfair that other states, which have two to three senators, received two trailers each,” she explained.
She expressed optimism that these imbalances could be addressed with the support of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, saying, “The minister is very amenable to supporting the FCT, and I hope that something will happen soon.”
Reflecting on her time in office, Kingibe acknowledged the unique challenges the FCT faces, particularly with only one senator and no governor, making the president the de facto head of the territory.
“I ran for office because I want to give back to society. But I must say, it’s been extremely difficult. To begin with, the FCT is unique. It is not like every other state that has three senators. The FCT has only one,” she said.
Kingibe vowed to continue lobbying for the needs of her constituents, despite the hurdles, and expressed hope for achieving more progress by 2025.
“Lobbying takes a lot of work and time. But I thank God I have been able to achieve some progress, and come 2025, I expect to do more,” she concluded.