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  • Tinubu’s performance in two years unprecedented – Wike

    Tinubu’s performance in two years unprecedented – Wike

    Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Thursday described the performance of President Bola Tinubu as tremendous and unprecedented performance, particularly in the rapid transformation of Abuja’s infrastructure over the past two years.

    Wike said this while briefing reporters during a routine inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects slated for commissioning to commemorate the milestone.

    Emphasising the significant progress made under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the minister said; “From the FCT where I superintend by his mandate, you will know that Mr. President has done very well. It’s unprecedented”.

    The Minister urged all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation, to acknowledge the President’s tangible successes, sating, “Even if you don’t like somebody as a person, when he does a good thing, you say yes, I’m not in good terms with him, I don’t like him, but he is doing well or he has done well”.

    Wike highlighted the dramatic improvements in the FCT, which he attributed to the leadership style of President Tinubu.

    He said; “All of us were critics that Abuja has not been working and now Abuja is working. Who has made it to work? It’s Mr. President. So, Mr. President has done very well”.

    The Minister, who was greeted by enthusiastic “four plus four” chants from FCT residents during the project inspection, interpreted the chant as a clear mandate for President Tinubu to serve another term.

    “What they are saying is that Mr. President has done four years and we should give him another four years,” he noted, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to be part of an administration delivering on its promises.

    The Minister provided updates on several key projects all set to be inaugurated as part of the anniversary celebrations, including 15 kilometres OSEX II to Wasa road, connecting Apo and Wasa District which was fully completed as well as the Arterial Road N20 interchange across the ONEX and the Collector Road CN8 (Asuquo Okon Way) from Arterial Road N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) to Arterial Road N1 (Olusegun Obasanjo Way), all nearing completion.

    Responding to questions on the absence of streetlights on the OSEX II to Wasa road, Wike clarified that the project was initiated by a previous administration over a decade ago.

    However, in line with President Tinubu’s commitment to continuity, the current administration, Wike said, is dedicated to its completion.

    The minister confirmed that a quotation for streetlights has been submitted by CGC, and while they may not be part of the upcoming inauguration, installation will proceed subsequently, to enhance security in the area.

    “Be rest assured that we are going to put streetlights on that OSEX II, Apo to Wasa,” he affirmed.

    He reiterated the commitment of the FCT Administration to providing the best for Abuja residents, and urged residents to also fulfill their civic obligations to support the ongoing development.

    Wike said; “The people of Abuja deserve the best and the contractors are doing their best, I can assure you that. For me, there cannot be anything less. All we are saying is for the residents also to perform their own obligation so that we will all work together for the interest of Abuja and the entire Nigerians”.

    Addressing the protracted strike by primary school teachers in the FCT over the non-payment of the new minimum wage, Wike expressed deep concern, equating the denial of education to “trying to cause a coup in the country or in the FCT”.

    He assured the public that all the issues will soon be resolved, saying, “everything is being done to see that the teachers go back to school”.

    The Minister also spoke on the roles of the National Assembly Committees on FCT Area Councils regarding the matter, urging them to focus on their primary responsibilities, particularly regarding the Area Councils, to help resolve the strike.

    Wike said: “Nobody can feel happy that primary school teachers are at home. It’s a basic thing that we must do and I can assure you, very soon, that matter will be resolved”.

  • Abuja residents not paying taxes my greatest challenge – Wike

    Abuja residents not paying taxes my greatest challenge – Wike

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday disclosed that his greatest challenge in office is the refusal to pay ground rent and other taxes by Abuja residents.

    FCT Administration had on Monday sealed the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Agency for Trafficking in Persons, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, a branch of Access Bank and a TotalEnergies Filling Station, before President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting a 14-day ultimatum within which to pay the owed sum, as well as penalties of between N2 million and N3 million, based on locations within the FCT. 

    Briefing reporters after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja, Wike lamented that while residents wanted infrastructure in the FCT, they failed to support the government by paying their taxes.

    He said many of the debtors owed as much as 20 years, even though the ground rent has remained the same for many years.

    The minister said he will not succumb to blackmail by a section of the elite who continue to violate laws, especially with regards to the payment of Ground Rents.

    Wike said, “(My greatest challenge) is the challenge of people refusing to pay their money. I will speak on that in the next media chat. And people just want facilities, people want infrastructure. But nobody asks, where are you getting these funds? Abuja is not one of the oil cities, we only rely on taxes. These are not new taxes. These are taxes that have been here for years.

    “It is unfortunate that most elites own houses overseas. They know the implication of not paying taxes, they know such houses are gone. But when it comes to your own country, you don’t want to do that, simply because nobody wants to obey the law, everybody thinks there are no sanctions.

    “Look at the years, 20-something years, 30-something years. And how much is it? We have not increased the ground rent, but we are working towards that, we will do that, I can assure. The President has given a waiver of two weeks. Let nobody think that blackmail or whatever will stop us; we will do what we are supposed to do,” he stated.

    The Minister also stated that he had recently signed over 1,500 Certificates of Occupancy and Deeds of Assignment, while again encouraging residents to pay their taxes and ground rents to aid development in the FCT.

    He said, “If you pay tax, you will see that it will be a different thing. And that’s what we are trying to do.

    “I can assure you, the President has given a window of two weeks. Let nobody think that blackmail or whatever will stop us. We will do what we are supposed to do. This is all about leadership. We will not give in to blackmail. We will do the right thing. If you have not paid, we will take”.

    Wike dismissed reports of a suicide bombing in respect of Monday’s explosion around the Nyanya axis.

    He said the victim had ignorantly carried an explosive material from a quarry site, which exploded on him.

    Read Also: I won’t attend PDP activities with Wike, Ortom as members – Lamido

    Wike said, “The security never said it was a suicide bomber. So that you don’t go and create an impression and put fear in people. You should try to do what we call investigative journalism. NEMA is not the head of security. Security agencies are there.

    “What happened there was that somebody went to where we have these quarries, where they blew up all these rocks and took the explosive and put it in his pocket. Of course, some of them may not even understand the implication of that. And so, it exploded on him.

    “So that does not mean that it is a suicide bomber. We should be careful in the story we will plant. And let’s not send the wrong message to the residents. You have said that the residents are also aware that there is a security improvement.

    “So that is enough for us. We have a lot to do what we are supposed to do. And to allay the fears of the residents that Abuja is still secure. It is most secure as far as this country is concerned. We are doing everything possible.”

  • Wike’s walk back on peace deal sinks PDP deeper in confusion

    Wike’s walk back on peace deal sinks PDP deeper in confusion

    • Minister indicts Governor Makinde

    • Anyanwu shifts tomorrow’s NEC meeting 

     Two developments yesterday threw the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into more turbulence.

    Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike pulled out of the peace deal with the governors of the party.

    Disputed National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu shifted tomorrow’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

    Anyanwu, relying on his recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared as illegal the notice of meeting signed by Deputy National Secretary Setonji Koshoedo.

    He said a new date for the meeting fixed by the governors in conjunction with the National Working Committee (NWC) to kick-start the rebuilding process ahead of the early convention in August, will be announced.

    Another setback for the party is the expected closure today of its National Secretariat in Abuja by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) over non-payment of ground rent for over ten years.

    Wike, in a statement yesterday in which he explained the efforts to strike a peace deal, announced his exit from the plan and vowed to fight on until justice is served.

    He accused Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of obstructing the peace process after reneging on the agreement to sustain Anyanwu in office as national secretary in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court.

    Wike explained that he had pulled out of the reconciliation and repudiated agreements critical to the resolution of the lingering crisis, vowing to “fight on until justice is attained.”

    He described Makinde as the architect of the current crisis, recalling that he had told the Oyo governor that “non-adherence to agreements reached was the bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly”.

    Wike said in a statement titled “PDP Crisis: My Position” that the peace terms were violated by Makinde.

    The statement reads: “Since the 2023 general election, the PDP has been wantonly swinging from one part of a slippery precipice to another, owing fundamentally to dishonesty and lack of trust amongst its key stakeholders.

    “To stem this ugly trend, efforts have been made to arrest this pernicious virus of dishonesty and treachery and enthrone fidelity to agreements with a view to stabilising the party and moving it forward.

    “To this end, a meeting of the G5 was held in Lagos. In that meeting, I made it clear to the Governor of Oyo State, HE. Seyi Makinde, that he was the architect of our problems, pointing out to him that non-adherence to agreements reached was the bane of the party, and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly.

    READ ALSO: Security sector at Tinubu’s mid-term

    “At the end of the meeting, we resolved to bury the hatchet and make progress.

    “As a follow-up to the aforementioned meeting, there was an expanded meeting in Abuja involving HE. Seyi Makinde, HE. Umaru Fintri, HE. Bala Mohammed, HE, Bukola Saraki, and I in Saraki’s guest house.

    “In that meeting, I made it clear that I had no personal problems with HE. Bala Mohammed, except that he hides under the facade of Chairman of PDP Governors Forum to serially renege on agreements.

    “Tension rose mightily in the meeting, and it took all concerned to calm frayed nerves.

    “At the end of the meeting, we came to some resolutions, including: that Senator Anyanwu remains the National Secretary of the PDP in tandem with the Supreme Court judgment, all legal matters relating to Rivers State must be withdrawn by the National Legal Adviser, the suit on the state of emergency be withdrawn forthwith, and nobody should deviate from the agreements so reached.

    “In the light of the foregoing, they pleaded with me to attend the stakeholders’ meeting at the Bauchi Government Lodge, regardless of my many engagements.

    “I attended the meeting and clearly reiterated my earlier concerns, and to this end and in order to resolve all other lingering and pending issues, a committee was formed, headed by HE. Bukola Saraki.

    “It is disheartening to note that even before the Bukola Saraki Reconciliation Committee began its work, the gentleman’s agreement we reached at Saraki’s Guest House was already being crudely violated.

    “To my chagrin, Seyi Makinde had connived with Peter Mba of Enugu State to orchestrate the summoning of the meeting of so-called Southeast leaders to recommend that if Ude Okoye was not adopted as Secretary, they would pull out of the PDP.

    “I have since granted an interview to the effect that the resolution of the Southeast leaders can not hold.

    “Again, Makinde organised some people in the National Secretariat to insist that the Deputy National Secretary should act as National Secretary, in violation of the agreement earlier reached.

    “To attempt to give credence to this farce, a letter was written by the Deputy National Secretary calling for a meeting of the NEC of the party.

    “Furthermore, the letter confirming the candidacy of the governorship candidate of the party in the forthcoming governorship elections in Anambra State, duly signed by the National Secretary, Senator Anyanwu and the acting National Chairman, was portrayed as rejected by the party through a rebuttal letter signed by the National Publicity Secretary, acting on the orders of Makinde and Peter Mba.

    “All these actions are in complete violation of the agreements reached and would not do the party any good whatsoever.

    “On the 24th of May 2025, in Jos, for instance, a well-publicised and properly attended zonal elective congress of the PDP was aborted because the letter inviting INEC to the congress was signed by the Deputy National Secretary of the party.

    “INEC refused to attend because the proper signatory recognised by law, that is Senator Anyanwu, was not a signatory to the invitation notice. This is undeniably distasteful, provocative and annoying, to say the least.

    “I have painstakingly put out all these facts so that PDP members and the general public would know the truth.

    “I have been in this party since 1998 and have worked tirelessly for the survival of this party with all my strength, and it is on record that none of these persons have done anything close to what I have done to sustain this party.

    “What is more painful is that I contributed substantially to most of these governors winning their elections, yet I have not made any personal demands on any of them, and I would never do so.

    “Most importantly, I had thought that we could keep the trust amongst us, but since it is now obvious that they would continue to play games to the detriment of the party, as is the case in the current debacle in the Northcentral zonal elections, I have now firmly decided to pull out of all agreements hitherto reached. I have decided to fight on until justice is attained.”

    Makinde declined to comment last night. When contacted, his special adviser on media, Sulaiman Olanrewaju, simply said: “Mr. Governor has no comment.”

    Anyanwu’s hand was strengthened by INEC’s refusal to monitor the Northcentral PDP congress because the invitation to them was not signed by Anyanwu. 

    In the letter titled: ‘Postponement of the 99th NEC meeting,” Anyanwu warned against the violation of the PDP Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act.

    The letter reads: “This is to formally inform leaders and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party that the proposed NEC meeting earlier announced to take place on May 27, 2025, has been postponed.

    “The postponement is to allow Senator Bukola Saraki’s Reconciliation Committee to complete its assignment of resolving some internal conflicts necessary to have a peaceful NEC meeting.

    “Accordingly, a new date will be formally announced in accordance with the PDP Constitution 2017, as amended, and the Electoral Act, 2022.

    “Therefore, any notice of NEC meeting or publication signed by the Deputy National Secretary in the guise of Acting National Secretary is illegal, unauthorised and should be disregarded.”

    Emergency BoT meeting today

    PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba said an emergency meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) is expected to be held today to resolve the crisis threatening tomorrow’s NEC meeting.

    He also urged NEC members to disregard the directive from Anyanwu, saying that the NEC meeting would be held as scheduled.

    The PDP Governors’ Forum on April 14 set the date for the meeting, which was subsequently ratified by the NWC.

    The governors also fixed August for an early convention to elect new national officers.

    At another meeting this month, the governors and the NWC set up the Bukola Sakari strategy committee to prepare grounds for a hitch-free NEC meeting and the convention.

    However, fears were rife at the weekend about the likely enforcement of the takeover of the PDP’s rented national headquarters at Wadata Plaza and the uncompleted 12-storey new building in the Central Area in Abuja.

    Also, there are feelers that pro-Anyanwu youths may storm the NEC meeting to protest moves by the party leaders to prevent him from playing his statutory roles.

    A letter by a chieftain, Odih Rowland, to the Acting Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, warned against manipulation and politics of exclusion by PDP leaders.

    It reads: “We write to express our deep concern and disappointment regarding the ongoing developments within our party.

    “We are compelled to state that if Senator Anyanwu, the National Secretary, does not participate in or sign for the NEC meeting scheduled for May 27th, we will mobilise our members to occupy the party secretariat.

    “We are tired of the perceived manipulation by certain governors, particularly the Governors of Enugu and Oyo States.

    “As loyal members who have laboured for this party for over 22 years, we cannot sit idly by while others seek to undermine our party’s integrity.

    “We hereby serve notice to the NWC that if our concerns are not addressed, we will be left with no option but to immediately occupy the party’s national secretariat on May 27th.”

    “We are prepared to defend the integrity of this great party with everything we’ve got.

    “We harbour no fear, but stand firmly in defence of our party’s principles and Senator Anyanwu’s tenure as National Secretary.

    “We reiterate that the only legitimate ways to remove national officers are through convention or death.

    “Since Senator Anyanwu is healthy and alive, we will stand with him until his tenure ends in December.”

  • PDP secretariat, 4,793 others to be sealed Monday – Wike

    PDP secretariat, 4,793 others to be sealed Monday – Wike

    National secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja and 4793 other properties revoked by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in March 2025   will be sealed on Monday, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike, has said.

    The FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze and Director Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, disclosed this during a press briefing yesterday.

    Lere said: “Ownership of the revoked 4,794 properties in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama and Guzape districts, had already reverted to the FCTA, and as from Monday, next week, the government will begin to exercise its rights of ownership on the affected landed properties.

    “As usual, this will be done without consideration as to ownership of the affected landed properties. It will be purely in line with extant laws and regulations guiding the process.”

    READ ALSO: Unlike Amotekun, ESN is illegal, witness tells court

    He emphatically said the affected properties will be sealed up and access to them restricted beginning from Monday, adding that the FCTA will decide what to do with the affected properties in due course.

    Speaking on the claim that some people went to court, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze stated that there was no court decision on the revocation, and as such, the FCTA is not restricted in the discharge of its lawful functions on the affected properties.

    He disclosed that the FCTA was already compiling records of compliance and non-compliance of title holders that were in default of payment of Ground Rent for between one and ten years, who were given a grace of 21 Days to pay up.

    He said the government will act accordingly as soon as the records are fully compiled and analyzed.

    It was learnt that the properties to be sealed include the popular Wadata plaza that currently houses the national secretariat of the PDP as well as the new national secretariat at plot Number 243 within Central Area District, Abuja.

    Nwankwoeze had clarified that although the property currently occupied by the PDP in Wadata Plaza was among those revoked and to be sealed on Monday, it was not in the name of the PDP.

    “The one in Zone 5, where they are currently occupying as their national headquarters, does not belong to PDP. It belongs to Samaila Mamang Ofu.

    And the revocation notice has been served on him at his Kaduna address – the address on record. We did not serve any such notice on the PDP. The only one we served on them was the one for the central area. You don’t serve a revocation notice on a tenant or an occupier. You serve it on the title holder – that’s what the law says.

    “And I want to also mention that we are talking about 4,794 titles. There are so many people who are affected. Government institutions, private organizations, private individuals – the Nigerian Postal Authority is there, the Central Bank of Nigeria is there, NNPC is there, INF is there, the Nigerian Universities Commission is there, NNPC is there, Borno State Government is there, NDDC is there, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria is there, the Federal Ministry of Environment is there, the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company is there – and so many others. It’s not only PDP.”

    Lere recalled that on March 18, 2025, “we informed you of the revocation of 4,794 land titles in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama and Guzape districts.

    These 4,794 properties were among the total of 8,375 land titles on which Ground Rent was not paid from one year to 43 years.

    We did say then that consequent upon the revocation of these titles, ownership of the affected properties have reverted to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)”

    “As from Monday, May 26, 2025, the FCTA will begin to take possession of the affected properties, using relevant agencies of government.”

  • Wike knocks ex-Ebonyi governor Egwu over political comments

    Wike knocks ex-Ebonyi governor Egwu over political comments

    …’those waiting for Wike’s political downfall will wait forever’

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned the former Governor of Ebonyi State, Sam Egwu, regarding negative comments.

    Wike stated that those who expect his political downfall will wait indefinitely.

    The minister, who spoke through his senior special assistant for public communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, responded to Egwu’s assertion that “Wike was living on borrowed time as his influence will soon burn out,” by saying, “unlike Egwu who is more like a spoon-fed politician, Wike’s political progress has been owing to personal hard work, dedication, commitment and, most importantly, the grace of God.”

    He described Egwu’s remark as one riddled with the highest dose of envy and bad belle, asserting that “someone who mismanaged his political life will always live with the mindset that others will mismanage theirs too.”

    Read Also: Wike declare 19 days of project commissioning for Tinubu’s second anniversary 

    Olayinka, who reiterated Wike’s position on the threat from a faction of the southeast leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), added that it was illogical for those who failed to deliver anything substantial in terms of votes to the PDP in the 2023 elections to threaten to withdraw their support for the party.

    He said, “The PDP constitution is clear as to who is the National Secretary of the party. His name is Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and anyone saying or doing anything contrary is only interested in the collapse of the party.

    “Therefore, it is funny that Dr Sam Egwu, a former Commissioner, two term governor, former minister and Senator that could not deliver anything to the PDP in the 2023 elections is among those threatening the party to either engage in illegalities by appointing someone else to fill a non-vacant position or lose their support.”

    On Egwu’s challenge to Wike to make it possible for the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, to return to office, Olayinka said, “This type of statement, coming from a former federal lawmaker, is, to say the least, preposterous. Or how can a former Senator be engaged in such beer parlour talks suggesting that the FCT Minister now exercises the powers of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the National Assembly?

    “However, such a comment has further exposed Dr Egwu’s mindset as someone living in total regret over the political progress of Wike. But can we stop him from regretting? No, we can’t.”

  • Wike declare 19 days of project commissioning for Tinubu’s second anniversary 

    Wike declare 19 days of project commissioning for Tinubu’s second anniversary 

    As part of activities to mark the second year anniversary of  President Bola Tinubu, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has earmarked 19 days for projects commissioning.

    This was part of the decisions taken at the 14th Executive Committee meeting of the FCTA chaired by the Minister.

    According to a statement by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Public Communications and Social Media,  Lere Olayinka “the commissioning of projects will commence on June 10, 2025 and will go on for 19 days.”

    Some of the projects scheduled for commissioning are: the newly renovated Abuja International Conference Centre Bus Terminals in Kugbo and Mabushi as well as Apo – Wassa road.

    Others are N16 interchange and roads to connect Maitama through Katampe to Jahi, Inner Nothern Expressway from Ring Road 3 (Idu to Kubwa Road), CN8 from N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) to Court of Appeal, N20 Flyover Onnex Kubwa Road and Life Junction to Ring Road III. 

    Also to be commissioned are: Kabulsa-Takushara Access Road; Kabusa-Ketti Access Road, access road in Giri District,15km Road from A2 Junction Abuja-Lokoja Road to Pai in Kwali Area Council as well as the Ushafa, War College, and Army Checkpoint roads in Bwari Area Council.

    Read Also: There’s no mollifying Fubara, Wike

    The FCT Executive Committee has approved the award of contract for the upgrade of streetlights on Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway (Ring Road I).

    Richard Dauda, Acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), said that the project was among the seven approved memos submitted by the FCDA for consideration.

    He explained that the project involves the upgrade of the obsolete streetlights on the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, a 14-kilometer 10-lane expressway from Maitama to Gudu.

    “If you pass there in the night, you will realise that most parts of the road are in darkness. Because the streetlights have been there for close to 15 years now.

    “The project was completed between 2005 and 2006, and the lights have become obsolete and no longer bright enough to lighten the road,” he said.

    He said that the upgrade became necessary following available new technology in street lightning.

    He added that a hybrid street lighting system would be deployed to brighten the road and make it more secure and more motorable in the night.

  • I will not contest against Tinubu in 2027 – Wike

    I will not contest against Tinubu in 2027 – Wike

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed speculations about a possible 2027 presidential run, firmly stating that he will not contest against President Bola Tinubu.

    Wike recently sparked political debate by calling on his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South — a move that many interpreted as a sign he might be preparing to challenge Tinubu. 

    Read Also: There’s no mollifying Fubara, Wike

    However, in an interview with BBC News Pidgin published over the weekend, the former Rivers Governor set the record straight.

    “I will not contest. Why will I contest against someone I’m working for?” Wike said, reiterating his loyalty to the current administration.

    He further emphasised that no opposition candidate presently stands a realistic chance against President Tinubu. “I will not contest again. I cannot contest against someone I am working with. Who will win except him?” he added.

  • There’s no mollifying Fubara, Wike

    There’s no mollifying Fubara, Wike

    They seem to have a different temperament down there in Rivers State, a difference probably unrelated to the March 18 proclamation of a state of emergency. It must be something far deeper, far bigger, and perhaps much more intense to frame in inoffensive words. Between suspended governor Siminalayi Fubara’s tactlessness and Federal Capital Territory minister’s intransigence, no one has been able to settle the question of whose deportment is worse or who is more voluble. Unfortunately, Rivers State has had the undistinguished honour of abiding both vices since Mr Fubara became governor, or, more correctly, since he was foisted on the state by the unappeasable Mr Wike who hides his fractiousness under his charisma.

    These typifications are not a deliberate attempt to slander Rivers State. Having been known through decades of election cycles as probably the most remarkable churner of dizzying electoral figures, much of these statistics coming from the fishing creeks, the state is now acquiring a different label of irresoluble political conflicts confined to its leadership elite. Tonnes of essays have been written to pacify or placate the state, to make it amenable to finer discourses and get it in tune with the rest of the country, but few in that state seem to pay heed. They have raved and ranted, and insulted and cursed. And the two men at the centre of the disagreeable mood suffocating the state have ridden blissfully on the disputative waves in the state, thundering against each other, and making snide remarks about each other’s followers.

    Last week, just one day apart, while posturing as earnestly questing for peace, Messrs Fubara and Wike once again lanced each other, one by the agency of a church service in honour of the late Niger Delta icon, Edwin Clark, and the other by the beaten path of a media chat. They were adamant, sarcastic and corrosive. The two had met in April in Abuja to see whether they could paper over the cracks between them. They seemed to have reached a tentative understanding which, however, quickly unravelled when their combative supporters, who have been conditioned to fight to the finish, recklessly began throwing barbs again. During last Sunday’s service of songs in Port Harcourt, Mr Fubara sounded surprisingly more conciliatory, even though he ended his remarks with a hint of sarcasm.

    Hear him: “I have peace. If you have known me, you’ve been seeing me; you can see I look better now…Some of you, have you asked yourself, do you think I’m even interested in going back there? I want to ask you, don’t you see how better I look…Do you think I’m interested in it? If I have my way, I would say this is it. This is an altar of God. I don’t wish to go back there. My spirit left that place long ago…So, all these, I want everybody to focus, please. There are fights you don’t fight, there are some things you don’t do because you need to ask the person, Does he want it?…If I had my way, I wouldn’t want to return. But many people, including the late Chief Clark, have made sacrifices for me. That’s why I must stand by them.”

    If Mr Wike had appreciated his predecessor’s verbal awkwardness, he would perhaps be less scathing. In the suspended governor’s quoted remarks, he inadvertently displayed two eccentricities: one, that he is often truly naïve about the import of his many weighty but sometimes circuitous remarks; and two, that he is feckless and eternally prone to wilting before the most tenuous of oppositions. Instead of appreciating the semantic limitations of Mr Fubara, and taking his generally innocent statements gamely, the primed and judgemental FCT minister took umbrage, drew his verbal sword, unfastened his scabbard and flung it away, and went for his predecessor’s jugular.

    Here is how he thrust his triumphalist sword into his predecessor’s heart during the media chat: “I told him (Fubara) I don’t think you have the capacity to really make this peace. It’s not easy; if you’re making peace, your people are demonstrating every day. If you are making peace, your people are busy on television insulting people…Yes, he came with two governors and another person, but unfortunately, the two of them are APC governors. I wouldn’t pursue him. He said he wants peace, and I said I want peace too. But there are steps. You people think this is about just saying, ‘I want peace’ and then you go. What that means is that there’s an open window for you, take the necessary steps to show you want peace. Indeed, this is a self-inflicted injury. He doesn’t need it. When this crisis started, I called him. Seyi Makinde, Ortom, Ikpeazu, and Umahi were there. We sat him down and said, ‘This is not good for you. God has given it to you; don’t allow people to push you. You’re a governor, we know. Don’t forget people laboured day and night. What I have said is: don’t forget people who toiled day and night.”

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    Clearly, for every inch Mr Fubara’s nursery rhyme went, Mr Wike’s tirade went a yard, for he is a far more consummate politician than his dour predecessor. Indeed, during the media chat, the FCT minister went beyond triumphalism; he also displayed a frustrating sense of entitlement and came close to playing God. He said: “I told him, ‘Go this way, and you will not have a problem’. People came and said, ‘Don’t mind him; assert yourself as governor’. Now trouble has come. They declared a state of emergency. He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches him. Who suffers? Assuming you don’t settle this problem and the state of emergency is called off, has the problem ended? I told him, ‘I don’t think you have the capacity to make peace. Your people are demonstrating every day, going on television to insult people’. Have you met the Assembly people? There are leaders you should meet. It’s not just to say, ‘I want peace.’ You must show, by conduct and action, that you want it.”

    Mr Wike was angry that some people close to the governor advised him to assert himself. Given the FCT minister’s imperious remarks, not to talk of the tone of finality with which he couches his decrees, it is not hard to imagine how heavily he obtruded upon the governance of the state. On the few occasions in the past when the governor had mellowed down and sounded conciliatory, Mr Wike had remained unyielding and supercilious. Mr Fubara of course has his faults, obviously amplified by his unpolished and indecipherable approach to politics, but nothing suggests that Mr Wike has all the solutions. Until they find a common intersection in their approach to politics and governance, the disagreement between the two men will be exacerbated by their dissonant backgrounds. Hopefully, someone somewhere will arrive on the scene and help them beat their swords into ploughshares, especially as the state of emergency begins to run its course. If no meeting ground is found, it could spell disaster for the state. Mr Fubara cannot regain the six months lost to emergency; he should, therefore, find a way to be all things to all men, guileful, proactive, and witty. If nothing else, let him at least have a great one term.

  • Bwari, Gwagwalada to get new bus terminals – Wike 

    Bwari, Gwagwalada to get new bus terminals – Wike 

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced the intention of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to establish new bus terminals in the Bwari and Gwagwalada Area Councils to enhance transportation in the FCT.

    Wike stated this on Saturday, during an inspection of the extensive renovation of the International Conference Centre (ICC) and the upgrading of the Ushafa, War College, and Army Checkpoint roads in Bwari Area Council.

    Speaking to reporters after the inspection, Wike emphasised that the new bus terminals in the satellite towns, when established, will complement existing facilities in the city centre, significantly improving transportation for residents. 

    He also highlighted the crucial role the terminals will play in addressing the menace of car robbery, commonly known as “one chance.”

    The Minister said: “We have agreed that we are going to establish one bus terminal in Gwagwalada and one in Bwari. This will ensure that people can safely and securely travel from Bwari and Gwagwalada to various parts of the city, including Mabushi, Kugbo, and the Central Business District bus terminal. By providing these designated terminals, we aim to eliminate the problem of ‘one chance’ and ensure the safety of commuters”.

    Wike reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to bridging the infrastructural gaps in the FCT, emphasizing that the focus of the “Renewed Hope Agenda” extends beyond the city centre to include the development of satellite towns. 

    He highlighted the ongoing 12-kilometer road project linking the entire Ushafa area and the ongoing dualization of the Kuje-Gwagwalada road as testaments to this commitment.

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    “The government of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is particularly concerned about and paying attention to the satellite towns,” the Minister affirmed, adding that rural transformation is key to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President.

    Wike also stressed that the significant upgrade of the International Conference Centre, aligns with President Tinubu’s directive to provide Nigerians with world-class facilities.

    The Minister also emphasised the long-term benefits of infrastructure developments in the FCT, stating that it will reduce travel times from the satellite towns to the city, encourage people to reside within the satellite towns thereby decongesting the city.  

    He said the essence of Providing basic amenities in the satellite towns is to curb rural-to-urban migration, which, he said, is mostly driven by the lack of infrastructure in the rural area.

    “It will be a different thing, and people will no longer be compelled to live in the cities,” the Minister said.

  • Fubara is my son, I wasn’t fighting him – Wike

    Fubara is my son, I wasn’t fighting him – Wike

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has insisted suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara, remains his political protégé.

    Speaking in an interview with BBC Pidgin, Wike clarified that his disagreement is not with Fubara personally but with those he believes are manipulating the Governor against him.

    “That one is not a battle. He (Fubara) is my boy, he is my son, why will I fight with him?” Wike said.

    “I’m only fighting against people who want to steal what they did not work for.

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    “When you don’t defeat them, they will think you… Defeat them to the final stage.

    “Now, they are ashamed because they are being defeated. They are the ones pushing Fubara,” he added.

    The Nation recalls Wike confirmed Fubara visited him to seek a truce earlier this month.