POLITICAL Economy

Tinubu Transforming Nigeria Through Infrastructure, Wike Says

by admin on | 2026-06-06 22:11:02

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Tinubu Transforming Nigeria Through Infrastructure, Wike Says

By Abdullahi Muhammad, Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that the exemplary leadership, vision, and political resolve demonstrated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are contributing significantly to addressing Nigeria's enduring development challenges. 

He cited ongoing infrastructure projects across the country as evidence of purposeful leadership.

Speaking at the 36th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Port Harcourt, where he delivered a lecture titled “Leadership and Infrastructure Development in Nigeria: Lessons for Future Leaders,” Wike described the scale, direction and momentum of infrastructure initiatives under the Tinubu administration as a reflection of a government committed to national transformation.

According to him, the President has shown an uncommon willingness to confront difficult decisions and mobilise resources to address Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit.

“What the present moment offers is a rare and defining possibility, a window in which purposeful leadership can begin, in earnest, to narrow the enduring gap between Nigeria’s vast potential and its historically uneven performance,” Wike said.

“In this regard, the evidence increasingly suggests that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated, beyond reasonable doubt, the courage to confront difficult choices, the capacity to mobilise national resources, and the will to pursue infrastructure as a serious instrument of transformation.”

The FCT minister argued that infrastructure remains the clearest measure of leadership effectiveness, stressing that roads, railways, power projects, housing schemes and digital infrastructure form the foundation for economic growth and social development. 

He noted that some projects were inherited.

Wike added that the Tinubu government has brought renewed urgency and strategic direction to the execution of projects.

He stated that previously isolated initiatives are now being integrated into a broader national development framework aimed at boosting productivity, strengthening cohesion and expanding economic opportunities.

Wike cited major projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, the East-West Road and access roads to the Second Niger Bridge as evidence of the administration’s commitment to reshaping Nigeria’s economic landscape.

He also highlighted investments in rail transportation, including the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri railway corridor and efforts to expand standard gauge networks nationwide.

In the power sector, Wike pointed to the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative in partnership with Siemens, alongside rural electrification programmes and mass metering schemes designed to improve electricity supply and restore consumer confidence.

The minister further commended the administration’s energy transition agenda, particularly the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative and the National Hydrogen Policy, describing them as forward-looking interventions aligned with global energy trends.

He also referenced investments in housing, aviation, broadband infrastructure, security architecture and education, including the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said is expanding access to higher education.

Wike described the removal of fuel subsidy as one of the administration’s boldest decisions, arguing that it has created additional fiscal space for infrastructure and development spending.

“Transformative leadership often requires the courage to choose long-term stability over short-term comfort,” he stated.

The former Rivers State governor maintained that infrastructure development should be judged not by the number of projects announced but by their completion and long-term impact on citizens.

He warned that Nigeria’s development aspirations would remain unattainable without sustained investment in roads, power, transportation, healthcare and education, urging Nigerians to support ongoing efforts to build a functional and integrated economy.

“If this trajectory is to be consolidated, deepened, and translated into lasting national outcomes, it requires not interruption in leadership, but continuity; not hesitation, but sustained commitment,” Wike said.

He stressed that leadership should ultimately be measured by its ability to translate vision into tangible outcomes, insisting that no nation can rise above the quality of its infrastructure and the commitment of its leaders.

The lecture was part of activities marking the University of Port Harcourt’s 36th Convocation Ceremony, attended by academics, students, alumni, government officials and other dignitaries from across the country.