50 years after creation, FCT getting better under Wike –Tinubu
BY STEPHEN GBADAMOI
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja is changing for the better under the current minister, Nyesom Wike, 50 years after creation of the federal capital.
Tinubu made the remarks in Abuja at the weekend, during a special ‘thank you dinner’ to celebrate the successful inauguration of 31 projects across the FCT in 28 days.
Tinubu, represented by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, thanked Wike and his team for all the sacrifices to ensure the nation’s capital worked for everyone.
He further commended the minister for demonstrating that “leadership is not measured by how loudly one announces plans, but how clearly the people can see the results of the plans.”
He said the FCT belonged to every Nigerian, describing it as a city where unity resided, where diversity met, and where the hope of every citizen found a common address.
“Every new road done here shortens somebody’s journey; every new bridge connects more than communities; it connects friendship, it connects love, it connects unity, and also connects opportunities for Nigerians.
“Every completed project quietly tells Nigerians that the government can still work when vision meets determination,” he said.
A former Minister of the FCT and current Special Adviser to the President on General Duties, Office of Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Mr. Aliyu Modibbo, argued that Wike was among the ministers of the territory that had performed very well.
Modibbo, who represented the vice president at the event, expressed optimism that Wike would return as FCT minister in Tinubu’s second tenure, saying “four years is not enough to complete what you have started.”
In his remarks, Wike recalled that when he assumed office as FCT minister in August 2023, he met depressed civil servants with no motivation to drive Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that he and the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, turned things around by ensuring the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, which allowed civil servants to rise to the position of a permanent secretaries and heads of civil service.
He explained that Tinubu gave the approval to motivate the workers, so that they could give their best for the development of the FCT.
The minister said that with the motivated workers, nine projects were inaugurated in the first year of Tinubu in office, 19 projects in the second year and 31 projects in the third year.
He added that the removal of the FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) also contributed to the feat by enabling the administration to access funds from commercial banks to execute projects.
He commended the contractors for quality and timely delivery of projects across the territory and promised to continue to work with them to give residents the best.
“Comparatively, what Tinubu has done and will continue to do in the FCT is unprecedented. Most of the projects we completed were not initiated by the current administration; and 70 per cent of them were abandoned projects.
“The only project that was not completed is the Inner Southern Expressway (OSEX),” Wike said.
He assured Tinubu of overwhelming support from Rivers, stressing that his Rainbow Coalition would consume any opposition in the state.
Also, Speaker of the House of Representative, Tajudeen Abbas, described Wike as the “best performing minister of the FCT” so far and commended the minister for the drive to change the landscape of the FCT.
Abbas, who was represented by the Majority Leader of the House of Representative, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, said that the nation’s capital had undergone monumental and unprecedented transformation under Wike’s stewardship.
Speaking on behalf of the contractors, the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Dr. Peer Lubasch, acknowledged that some of the contractors had seen more ribbon-cutting ceremonies in the past days than in the previous years.
Lubasch commended Tinubu for his commitment to infrastructure, economic growth and national development and applauded Wike for the vision, planning, and sustained investment that was transforming Abuja into Africa’s finest, purpose-built capital.
“Without any sense of immodesty, we are proud that we have been an integral part of Abuja’s story from its formative years to the present day,” he said.
