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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has witnessed remarkable transformation under the leadership of the Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, describing the ongoing infrastructure renewal as a defining moment in the territory’s 50-year history.
Tinubu spoke at a thanksgiving dinner organised in Abuja to mark the successful inauguration of 31 projects executed across the FCT within 28 days.
Represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President commended Wike and the FCT Administration for delivering projects that have improved the lives of residents, saying leadership is best measured by visible results rather than promises.
“The Federal Capital Territory belongs to every Nigerian. It is where unity resides, where diversity meets and where the hope of every citizen finds a common address,” Tinubu said.
He added that the road, bridge and other infrastructure projects being delivered across the territory were fostering national integration and economic development.
“Every new road shortens somebody’s journey. Every new bridge connects more than communities; it connects friendship, love, unity and opportunities. Every completed project quietly tells Nigerians that government can still work when vision meets determination,” he said.
The President lauded Wike for demonstrating that effective governance is rooted in execution and service delivery.
Earlier, former FCT Minister and Special Adviser to the President on General Duties in the Office of the Vice President, Aliyu Modibbo, described Wike as one of the best-performing ministers to have administered the nation’s capital.
Representing Vice President Kashim Shettima, Modibbo said the scale of development recorded under Wike justified calls for him to continue beyond the current tenure.
“Four years will not be enough to complete what you have started,” he said.
In his remarks, FCT Minister Barr Nyesom Wike said the Tinubu administration inherited a demoralised FCT civil service when he assumed office in August 2023 but had since repositioned it to drive the Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, approved by the President, restored career progression within the service by enabling officers to rise to the positions of Permanent Secretary and Head of Service.
He said the improved welfare and motivation of workers had reflected in the administration’s performance, with nine projects inaugurated in Tinubu’s first year in office, 19 in the second year and 31 projects commissioned in the third year.
Wike also attributed the accelerated pace of project delivery to the removal of the FCT Administration from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which enabled it to access commercial financing for infrastructure development.
“Comparatively, what President Tinubu has done and will continue to do in the FCT is unprecedented. About 70 per cent of the projects we completed were inherited abandoned projects. The only one yet to be completed is the Inner Southern Expressway (OSEX),” he said.
The minister commended contractors for the timely execution of projects and pledged to sustain the tempo of infrastructure development across the territory.
He also assured President Tinubu of continued political support from Rivers State.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by the House Majority Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, described Wike as the best-performing FCT minister, saying his administration had fundamentally changed the landscape of Abuja through sustained infrastructure investment.
Also speaking, Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr. Peer Lubasch, said the company was proud to have contributed to Abuja’s development from its formative years to its current transformation.
He commended the Tinubu administration for prioritising infrastructure, economic growth and national development, describing the ongoing projects as a significant step towards positioning Abuja among Africa’s leading capital cities.
