FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has declared that President Bola Tinubu is firmly in control of his administration and not under the influence of any political cabal.
Speaking at the 2025 OAU Distinguished Personality Lecture in Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Thursday, June 5, Wike praised Tinubu’s leadership style, calling it bold and decisive.
“He has shown that he has the courage. Under Tinubu, there is nothing like cabal. This is a president that is in charge,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor also commended Tinubu’s controversial economic reforms, saying past leaders, including Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, lacked the will to remove the petrol subsidy or unify the country’s exchange rates.
He argued that, without those reforms, fuel subsidy fraud would still be draining the country.
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Looking back on Nigeria’s post-independence history, Wike admitted the nation has underachieved, with widening fault lines. Still, he expressed hope that Nigeria could reclaim its potential, if citizens and leaders commit to doing the hard work.
“The desired Nigeria won’t fall from heaven but will require the vision, sacrifice, hard work and purpose of all citizens,” he said. “Let us leave for the next generation resolves and not regrets.”
Wike also took a jab at those questioning his leadership and calling for his removal as FCT minister, suggesting they lacked a proper grasp of his capabilities.
He maintained his stance on enforcing payment of outstanding ground rents in Abuja. “Heaven would not fall if they did so,” he stated firmly.
The event was attended by prominent figures, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi; Finance Minister Wale Edun; and former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Samuel Ortom.