President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday extended an open invitation to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), praising his performance in office and declaring that Wike would be welcomed with open arms.
President Tinubu also recommitted his administration to sustained investment in infrastructure, declaring that no amount of political pressure or opposition will derail his development agenda under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We have somebody in Nyesom Wike. He’s not a member of my party — not yet. But the day he changes his mind and registers with the progressives, we will welcome him. Because we will enjoy him in singing, ‘as e dey pain them, e dey sweet us”, Tinubu said during the commissioning of the Arterial Road N16 in Katampe District, Abuja
The lighthearted yet politically charged remark came as the President formally inaugurated the completed stretch of Shehu Shagari Way, linking the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway to Wole Soyinka Way through Katampe and adjoining districts.
The project, which includes a major interchange and access roads, is part of the Abuja Master Plan and had stalled for years before being revived under Wike’s leadership.
Tinubu emphasised that his government will continue to prioritize service delivery and national development over political grandstanding.
“We will continue to build, we will continue to serve the people, no matter how much the naysayers pursue their politics,” the President said. “We did not ignore this project. We did not worry about protests. The government has played its part.”
President Tinubu hailed the completion of the project as a milestone that goes beyond physical construction.
“This project represents more than a stretch of asphalt, it affirms our commitment to urban transformation under our Renewed Hope Agenda. What was once missing as a link is now a modern, functional and durable infrastructure”, he said.
He praised Minister Wike’s leadership and collaborative approach in delivering the project.
“Once again, I commend the Honorable Minister of FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, and his team. He could not achieve this alone without your collaboration as a team builder, a team player. You have proved that teamship is the hallmark of good leadership,” Tinubu said.
The President reiterated his administration’s broader vision to deploy infrastructure as a tool for national growth, social inclusion, and economic transformation.
“Infrastructure is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It is the bedrock of national competitiveness, growth, social integration and economic opportunity”, he stressed.
Tinubu noted that Nigeria’s future lies in its ability to connect cities, communities, and industries with world-class infrastructure.
“There is no way industrialization will flourish without good roads,” he said, adding that the government is also investing in “roads, rail, power, healthcare, education and digital infrastructure.”
Since assuming office in May 2023, the Tinubu administration has pursued a strategy rooted in reform and regeneration.
According to the President, Wednesday’s commissioning is tangible proof that the strategy is yielding results.
“This corridor was underdeveloped for years, despite its central role in the Abuja master plan. Today, that narrative has changed. This road will ease traffic congestion around Central Abuja and improve connectivity to developing districts. It will stimulate housing and business growth, while serving as a foundation for future city integration”, he said.
President Tinubu also called on residents and stakeholders to take ownership of the new road and preserve it as a community asset.
“The road belongs to the community and citizens of Abuja and us as the federal government. I urge you to protect it and use it wisely,” he said.
The President closed his remarks by thanking the FCT community for their cooperation during the road construction, including those who were relocated to make way for the project.
“Thank you very much for the cooperation. We thank the Minister of FCT too for relocating your community with peace and good compensation,” he noted.
As he formally declared the road commissioned, President Tinubu once again reaffirmed the central mission of his administration: “To the glory of God, I declare this road commissioned for the benefit of humanity. May God bless Abuja Capital Territory, bless Nigeria, and keep our troops safe.”
Meanwhile, speaking earlier, the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, said President Bola Tinubu’s infrastructural development has killed the coalition moves by the opposition.
He vowed to continue to support Tinubu’s administration.
He stated, “Some people, whatever you do, will not be happy; many of them were born not to be happy.”
“Under Tinubu, contractors now have confidence in the government. Your good works have killed the coalition in Nigeria. Mr. President, let me first of all convey the happiness and appreciation of the people of the city. I’m sure that when you came down from the vehicle, you saw how happy people were praising you.
“That’s to tell you they appreciate and recognize the good works you are doing. There are some people, whatever you do, they will never be happy. They were born not to be happy, and so there is nothing you can do about it. But those who appreciate, who are happy, you can see how elated they are.
“Let me let you know that this road was awarded by your administration. It is not one of those projects that were inherited. Having worked with you for a few years, I’ve seen how passionate you are about contracts and abandonment of contracts. This job was awarded by the Federal Executive Council last year September, and we flagged off this project in October.
“I told the contractors, I said, listen, I don’t want to hear complaints. Whatever it will take you to do your job, do it. If I pay you during the rainy season, you must work under the rainy season. If I pay you in the dry season, you must work in the dry season. I don’t want to hear that, oh, the rain was too much. Return the money so that we can keep it. After the rain, we can pay you. You can’t keep our money when we have paid you, then you say it is raining, No. Send our money back.
“I’m quite elated. Initially, I was skeptical about the contractor CGC until you appointed us sometime in August 2023. The road from the Presidential Villa to Asokoro, that interchange, I couldn’t believe that we can have it and it was done by the CGC. Everybody saw how that place was. So I started having that confidence in them.
“I told CGC, are you sure that Mr. President will commission this (N16) road project in his second year in office? They said yes. I said, are you sure? They said yes. Should I include it as part of the project to be commissioned? They said yes. I said, see, don’t look for my problem. Now you have made a promise, you have to keep to the promise.
“Let me tell you one thing you have done Mr. President that has created confidence in contractors today. This road stopped somewhere. As I speak to you now, companies, contractors are competing among themselves for us to just award the job. Most of them have gone and started without even giving them the initial mobilization. That is confidence building. And that’s what we’ve created.
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“I want to thank the management of CGC. No one contract that is awarded under the FCT, would be abandoned. By the time you do your third year in office next year, you will see that virtually all the contracts you awarded under you as the president, as the chairman of the Federal Executive Council, will all have finished them to the glory of God and no contractor will be left unpaid. They know in my dictionary, there’s no variation. So if I don’t have the money, I tell them, hold on! No pressure.
“So I’m happy. This road again leads to all the judges’ quarters, the court of appeal, the Federal High Court, and the Federal Capital Territory High Court. By the grace of God, I don’t know the particular day where that will be commissioned. But I know that they have finished it and the judges’ quarters are almost ready.
“Your Excellency, we cannot thank you enough to have the opportunity to be part of this going on in the country. I hardly watched some stations but sometimes, I don’t know how spiritually I was touched to just tune and start watching. This morning, I was touched and was watching. I didn’t know that people can be in pain. I didn’t know. And now I know there are such people that are pained. My duty now is to make sure to continue to give them high blood pressure. As ‘e dey pain them, e go dey sweet us’. As e dey sweet us, e go dey pain to them. That’s my job. I’ll be happy every time, moving, laughing. And then they will be there fighting and shouting and killing themselves.
“So, Mr. President, we want to thank you that we are part of this, what is going on, the revolution that’s going on. Your good work has killed the coalition. I was thinking that truly, there would be a coalition. So, I told my people, make sure that every national television must hook in so they can see what’s happening every day. If they turn to ADBN, they’re watching Mr. President. If they turn to TVC, it’s Mr. President. If they go to Channels, Mr. President. If they go to NTA, Mr. President. Even the one I don’t watch, Arise, it’s Mr. President. So, they have no choice, and they must watch it and watch it for 17 days. There is nothing they can do. So, sir, Abuja people say I should tell you, please, they are happy. That even though you have given them 10 days, the other ones will be shared by the VP, Senate President, and Speaker.
“Coalition is bound to fail, and it has failed”, he said.
