Show me who hasn’t felt govt impact, Wike challenges FCT residents

Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike confidently stated that President Bola Tinubu's infrastructure achievements in Abuja are sufficient to secure his political future, urging him to "sleep with his two eyes closed."

“

If indeed we want to say governance is what will make people to return you to come back to office… I don’t think Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be sleeping and keeping one of his eyes open. No, he should sleep, and his two eyes closed.

Wike made these remarks during the official commissioning of Arterial Road N5 in Abuja. He argued that if governance and infrastructure are the true measures of electoral success, then the Tinubu administration has already solidified its position in the capital. "I challenge everybody in this FCT, who can come out to say we don’t have the impact, we don’t feel the presence of government," he declared, dismissing any organized opposition as ineffective.

“

I challenge everybody in this FCT, who can come out to say we don’t have the impact, we don’t feel the presence of government. These people who are carrying placards here… if people send you to go back and carry placards, it will not work.

The minister also recounted the challenges faced during the road's construction, including a halt by construction giant Julius Berger due to community demands for compensation over demolitions. Wike personally addressed the community members, clarifying that compensation was only for demolished properties along the road's path, not based on community affiliation. "We pay you money because we are doing a project. It is those who have properties along the line where development is taking place that we have to pay," he explained.

“

When we are doing this road, and thank God, it’s good to come out and know what is happening, not to be in the office. That time, Julius Berger was having a problem. The community said they would not do the road because they have not been compensated for the demolition.

Wike vowed that his administration would not misuse public funds to satisfy what he deemed as undue entitlement, emphasizing that the Federal Capital Territory Administration had met its financial obligations to all verified property owners affected by the project.

“

I said, we are only paying those that we have demolished their properties. We are not paying because you belong to the so-and-so community. We pay you money because we are doing a project. It is those who have properties along the line where development is taking place that we have to pay.