Tag: Wike

The Mandate Secretary of Health, Human and Environment Services, Adedolapo Fasawe, on Friday disclosed that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Executive Council has ratified a contract for the purchase of 12 new emergency ambulances at the cost of N1.74 billion to aid emergency responses.

Fasawe said this after a meeting of the FCT Executive Council at the FCT Minister’s official residence.

The contract ratification comes months after the Secretary, in July, announced the planned purchase of the ambulances, as well as the digitization of emergency response units across FCT hospitals.

Speaking during a Community First Responders Training organised by the Health Emergency Initiative and the FCT Primary Health Care Board, Fasawe said, “I’m happy to announce that we will soon commission about 12 ambulances here.

“Mr Wike purchased new ambulances for us. And we don’t only want ambulances, we want ambulance services, where we will have a station, we will have pilots, and all our nurses are first responders.

“Very soon, all our hospitals, we will be able to access all our hospitals online. You will be able to know when there is a bed, when there is no bed, and which hospital is closest to you. Technology is very important,” she said.

Speaking during the briefing on Friday, the Health Secretary stated that the buses were 12 units of Toyota Hiace, 2023/2024 models, purchased for a total sum of N1.74 billion, adding that the ambulances had been received and will be commissioned very soon.

“Today at the Executive Council Meeting, a contract has been ratified, and I am very pleased to say that for the first time in nine years, the FCT will get 12 brand new special ambulances. These ambulances are according to international standards and technical specifications. They have been delivered and will be commissioned soon.

“There are 12 units of Toyota Hiace Hiroof 2023/2024 model, five-speed manual, keyless entry, airbag, six-cylinder, Bluetooth system, central locking, in fact, a state-of-the-art ambulance.

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“Twelve of them were purchased for the sum of N1,741,500,000 only, with a completion period of four weeks. We have received the ambulances, and they will be commissioned soon,” she stated.

Fasawe further explained that the Secretariat had partnered with the National Communications Commission to ensure that residents could dial the 112 toll-free line in cases of emergency, from where they would then be patched to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, and the FCT Health Insurance Scheme.

She further said the FCT had zero tolerance for carrying dead bodies with the ambulances, adding that the administration was looking into buying hearses in the next budget.

Fasawe said: “The good news is we are in direct communication with the NCC. The 112 number, if you try it right now, is functional. Once we build our ambulance system and operations, we are going to have our own radio base where 112 will be patched directly.

“To the citizens of Abuja, call 112, and they will be patched to the nearest ambulance, from FEMA to NEMSAS, to FCT HIS. On carrying corpses in the FCT, we have zero tolerance for an ambulance carrying a corpse.

“It is not ethical because a living person will lie on that stretcher without decontamination. So, we are also looking into buying hearses in the next budget, specifically to carry dead bodies”.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he is ready to appear as a witness in the ongoing trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, if subpoenaed by the court.

Wike made this known during his monthly media chat on Friday in Abuja after being asked about his inclusion on Kanu’s list of witnesses.

His comment followed a motion filed by Kanu at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, notifying the court of his plan to open his defence on October 24, 2025.

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The IPOB leader indicated intention to call 23 witnesses, including Wike, former Minister of Defence Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd), and former Chief of Army Staff Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd).

Wike, however, clarified that he had not requested to be named as a witness and had not received any legal notification from the court. He said he would only appear if formally summoned.

“If you see Nnamdi Kanu, you ask him why he listed me. I did not go to him to say I want to be a witness; you are the one saying that. So, if you see him, ask him why did you list Wike as one of your witnesses?

“You don’t become a witness by reading a newspaper. Nobody has served me process; nobody has subpoenaed me.

“So, because I saw Wike has been listed, therefore, I begin to run helter-skelter. No, you do not do that. If I am served, if I am subpoenaed to come and give witness, or to give evidence, I must obey the court, I must appear,” he said.

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike yesterday decried what he called the pervasive culture of transactional and mediocre leadership across Africa.

He warned that the continent’s persistent underdevelopment, despite its vast resources, is a direct consequence of poor governance and self-serving politics.

Wike said this in a keynote address, titled: Reimagining Africa’s Leadership and Investment, he delivered at this year’s edition of Innovate Africa Conference held at the ECOWAS Conference Hall in Abuja.

The minister regretted that Africa’s leadership trajectory under military and civilian dispensations has for decades been shaped by “self-serving conspiracies that bear little or no relation to national interest or development priorities”.

He said: “Africa today stands at a historic crossroads. On one hand, we are blessed with immense natural wealth, youthful energy, and creative potential; yet, we continue to grapple with weak institutions, infrastructural decay, poverty, and widespread unemployment. This is the paradox of our age. How can a continent so richly endowed remain so constrained?” he queried.

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The minister, who was honoured with the Innovate Africa Leadership Award 2025 at the event, stressed that the decisive factor at the heart of the continent’s paradox lies in leadership, the kind that defines whether abundance becomes prosperity or stagnation.

“Leadership remains the fulcrum upon which the destinies of nations turn. When leadership is visionary, accountable, and courageous, even the most daunting obstacles can be transformed into opportunities,” he said.

Wike called for a deliberate shift from “transactional leadership” which he described as one driven by personal gain, patronage, and short-term calculations to transformational leadership anchored on vision, service, accountability, and courage.

He said: “The time has come to move beyond transactional leadership to embrace transformational governance that empowers rather than exploits, serves rather than rules, and builds rather than blames.”

The former Rivers State governor noted that Africa’s post-independence experience has largely been one of “groping in the dark,” as many leaders have emerged unprepared for the magnitude of national challenges before them.

He added: “Consequently, we keep experimenting with the fundamentals of development basic infrastructure, primary healthcare, credible institutions, and functional economies. The result has been decades of missed opportunities.”

Wike urged African leaders to rediscover the ethos of servant-leadership, noting that true leadership is defined by empathy, humility, and a shared sense of responsibility.

“Africa needs servant-leaders, not bosses who command, but mentors who inspire. Leadership is not about power or position; it is about trust, service, and shared purpose,” he said.

Drawing parallels between effective leadership and infrastructural renewal, the FCT minister cited ongoing transformations in Abuja as proof that vision backed by a political will can translate aspirations into tangible outcomes.

“In Abuja, we have seen how infrastructural renewal, anchored on commitment and accountability, can redefine a city’s identity and inspire public confidence. Roads once impassable now connect communities, and abandoned spaces now thrive with enterprise,” he said.

Wike praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “courageous and reform-driven leadership,” especially the removal of fuel subsidy, which he said previous administrations lacked the political will to implement.

He maintained that the President’s efforts to decentralize governance, devolve development through regional commissions, and strengthen security institutions are laying the foundation for national transformation.

“President Tinubu demonstrated uncommon courage by confronting Nigeria’s toughest challenge, subsidy removal a decision that is already yielding dividends in increased revenue for development and economic stability,” Wike said.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Thursday decried what he described as the pervasive culture of transactional and mediocre leadership across Africa. 

Wike warned that the continent’s persistent underdevelopment, despite its vast resources, is a direct consequence of poor governance and self-serving politics.

The Minister stated this in Abuja while delivering the keynote address titled “Reimagining Africa’s Leadership and Investment” at the 2025 Innovate Africa Conference, held at the ECOWAS Conference Hall, Abuja.

He lamented that Africa’s leadership trajectory both in military and civilian dispensation has for decades been shaped by “self-serving conspiracies that bear little or no relation to national interest or development priorities.”

According to him: “Africa today stands at a historic crossroads. On one hand, we are blessed with immense natural wealth, youthful energy, and creative potential; yet, we continue to grapple with weak institutions, infrastructural decay, poverty, and widespread unemployment. This is the paradox of our age — how can a continent so richly endowed remain so constrained?” 

The Minister, who was honoured with the Innovate Africa Leadership Award 2025, stressed the decisive factor at the heart of the continent’s paradox lies in leadership the kind that defines whether abundance becomes prosperity or stagnation.

“Leadership remains the fulcrum upon which the destinies of nations turn. When leadership is visionary, accountable, and courageous, even the most daunting obstacles can be transformed into opportunities,” he said.

Wike called for a deliberate shift from “transactional leadership” which he described as one driven by personal gain, patronage, and short-term calculations to transformational leadership anchored on vision, service, accountability, and courage.

He said: “The time has come to move beyond transactional leadership to embrace transformational governance that empowers rather than exploits, serves rather than rules, and builds rather than blames”.

The former Rivers Governor lamented that Africa’s post-independence experience has largely been one of “groping in the dark,” as many leaders have emerged unprepared for the magnitude of national challenges before them.

“Consequently, we keep experimenting with the fundamentals of development basic infrastructure, primary healthcare, credible institutions, and functional economies. The result has been decades of missed opportunities,” he added.

“Africa Needs Servant-Leaders’

Wike urged African leaders to rediscover the ethos of servant-leadership, noting that true leadership is defined by empathy, humility, and a shared sense of responsibility.

“Africa needs servant-leaders not bosses who command, but mentors who inspire. Leadership is not about power or position; it is about trust, service, and shared purpose,” he said.

Drawing parallels between effective leadership and infrastructural renewal, Wike cited ongoing transformations in Abuja as proof that vision backed by political will can translate aspirations into tangible outcomes.

“In Abuja, we have seen how infrastructural renewal, anchored on commitment and accountability, can redefine a city’s identity and inspire public confidence. Roads once impassable now connect communities, and abandoned spaces now thrive with enterprise,” he noted.

Wike also commended President Bola Tinubu’s “courageous and reform-driven leadership,” especially the removal of fuel subsidy, which he said previous administrations lacked the political will to implement.

He maintained that the President’s efforts to decentralize governance, devolve development through regional commissions, and strengthen security institutions are laying the foundation for national transformation.

• ‘I will showcase President’s dividends of democracy in education sector for 20 days’

• Minister inaugurates engineering infrastructure in Wuye District

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has said the territory has recorded unprecedented infrastructural pace in the past two years under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The minister said the President’s achievements within the past two years have shamed the opposition.

He urged Nigerians, particularly and FCT residents, to continue to support the President’s programmes and policies.

Wike promised to support anybody who supports President Tinubu.

The FCT minister noted that the territory’s wave of infrastructure flag-offs and project inaugurations represented an unprecedented record in the history of the FCT.

He applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for reviving long-abandoned projects and restoring public confidence in governance.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Wuye Engineering Infrastructure Project, Wike challenged critics of the Tinubu administration to name any previous government that matched the current pace of transformation under the President’s leadership.

“If there’s any administration since the creation of the Federal Capital Territory that has done more than what we are doing, let them speak up now. Their silence says it all. This is leadership that is committed, the leadership that is changing lives. President Tinubu’s administration has shamed the opposition,” he said..

According to him, many of the projects being inaugurated currently have been abandoned since 2009 due to non-payment of contractors.

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The minister explained that the Tinubu administration took decisive steps to revive them, leading to massive infrastructural development in the Gwagwalada District, including new road networks, sectoral arterials, tunnels, and utility services.

“When this administration came in, the President took immediate steps to revive what had been neglected. Within one year in office, major projects were completed, including the interchange that once caused traffic chaos in the area,” he said.

Wike announced that after 20 days of inaugurating projects, the FCT Administration would take a short break before embarking on another 20-day phase which focused on education development.

The minister promised to unveil the government’s achievements in schools and learning facilities across the capital.

“Our work is not only about roads and infrastructure; it also extends to education. For 20 more days, we will show Nigerians what we have done in that sector, and it will surprise many,” he said.

Wike expressed gratitude to FCTA workers, Area Councils’ chairmen, and councilors, praising their dedication and record-breaking efforts.

He reaffirmed his commitment to supporting all political leaders who align with the President’s vision, adding that a “political tsunami” of performance-driven governance is sweeping through the territory.

Wike said: “Those in real estate used to complain: no roads, no infrastructure; our businesses are collapsing. Can you still say that today? Every day you see progress because infrastructure has been provided. That’s what development looks like.

“My dear people, look around you. If you live here, if you have property here, your conscience will tell you the truth that leadership has returned to this country. The Renewed Hope Agenda is real. Forget my face; what matters is the work being done…

“From Airport Road to Kuje, the results speak for themselves. Go there and see what this administration is doing. The difference is clear.

“We are not going to rush. We are going to shock them with what we have done in the education sector so that they will know that President Tinubu’s administration is not only concentrating on the infrastructure in the FCT, as regards to the network of roads, it is also focusing on the education sector.”

The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the Wuye Engineering Infrastructure Project as a testament to the administration’s resolve to deliver infrastructure that uplifts communities and restores hope.

“As we celebrate this achievement, let us remember that every milestone is a promise kept, and every completion is a beginning anew,” she said.

Mahmoud thanked President Tinubu for illuminating every corner of the FCT through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

She also hailed Wike for his “exemplary leadership and relentless drive to deliver projects that touch lives and uplift communities”.