President Bola Tinubu says the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is changing for the better under the leadership of Nyesom Wike as its minister, 50 years after its creation.
Tinubu said this in Abuja on Friday night during a special thanksgiving dinner to celebrate the successful inauguration of 31 projects across the FCT in 28 days.
Represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the president commended Wike and his team for their sacrifices in ensuring that the nation’s capital works for everyone.
“Tonight turns out to be the night given to God Almighty. I will thank God for our lives and for the survival of our country many years after. I will also thank God for the residents and indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory.
“Fifty years after Nigeria created the FCT, things changed, things have turned around and things are getting better.”
He also 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 belongs to every Nigerian, describing it as a city where unity resides, where diversity meets and where the hope of every citizen finds a common address.
“Every new road 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.
Aliyu Modibbo, a former Minister of the FCT and current Special Adviser to the President on General Duties, Office of the Vice President, said Wike was among the FCT ministers who had performed well.
Modibbo, who represented Vice President Kashim Shettima at the event, expressed optimism that Wike would return as FCT minister in Tinubu’s second term, saying, “Four years is not enough to complete what you have started.”
In his remarks, Wike said that when he assumed office as FCT minister in August 2023, he met depressed civil servants with little motivation to drive Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that he and the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, turned things around by ensuring the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission.
According to him, the commission allows civil servants to rise to the positions of permanent secretary and head of the civil service.
He said Tinubu approved the commission to motivate workers so they could give their best for the development of the FCT.
The minister said that with motivated workers, nine projects were inaugurated in Tinubu’s first year in office, 19 in the second year and 31 in the third year.
He said the removal of the FCT from the Treasury Single Account also contributed to the achievement by enabling the administration to access funds from commercial banks to execute projects.
He commended contractors for the quality and timely delivery of projects across the territory and promised to continue working 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 (ISEX),” Wike said.
Also, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas described Wike as the “best-performing minister of the FCT so far” and commended him for his drive to transform the nation’s capital.
Abbas, who was represented by the House Majority Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said the FCT 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, said some contractors had witnessed more ribbon-cutting ceremonies in recent days than in previous years.
Lubasch commended Tinubu for his commitment to infrastructure, economic growth and national development.
He also applauded Wike for his vision, planning and sustained investment, which he said were transforming Abuja into Africa’s finest purpose-built capital.
“We are proud that we have been an integral part of Abuja’s story from its formative years to the present day,” he said. (NAN)
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