The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says the country needs leaders like President Bola Tinubu to achieve the “Nigeria of our dreams.”
Mr Wike said this in his 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture, titled “The Nigeria of our Dreams,” presented at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Thursday.
The minister pointed out that the greatest challenge confronting Nigeria and militating against its development was the plague of bad leadership.
He agreed with Chinua Achebe, whose seminar, “The Trouble with Nigeria,” graphically captured the challenge when he stated that “the trouble with Nigeria is fairly and squarely the absence of proper leadership.”
“This statement, damaging as it may appear, is extremely difficult to controvert; our leaders have, in the main, emerged through self-serving conspiracies that have little or nothing to do with national interests and development.
“This has been the case in both military and civilian contexts,” he said.
He, however, said Mr Tinubu had stood out as the leader the people needed to drive Nigeria to progress and prosperity.
The minister explained that Nigeria needs a leader that was prepared to lead with sound character and resilience in the face of challenges.
Mr Wike said this leader must have the courage and audacity to act, build, innovate, and generally expand the frontiers of development with a hands-on approach that emphasises excellence over mediocrity.
He added that, more importantly, the leader of Nigerians’ dream must create a society of free and responsible citizens whose potential flowed freely and free enterprise thrived.
“Let me make bold at this juncture to state that today, in our country, we have such a leader in the person of Tinubu.
“He has shown, in several ways and at different times, a stout commitment to the enthronement of democracy in our country, to the extent of even putting his own life on the line in the process.
“He has shown great capacity for engendering development as captured in the unprecedented rapid and exponential development of Lagos State under his watch and even beyond,” he added.
He also said Mr Tinubu had demonstrated a rare courage by removing fuel subsidy on his first day upon being sworn in as the president.
According to him, leaders before him all spoke about the evil of fuel subsidy, but none had the courage to dare the blackmail of removing it.
“Tinubu did and is fittingly grappling with the inevitable, unintended and sometimes orchestrated consequences of this removal.
“Today, our states have far more resources to develop, the debts are no longer piling, and the price of petrol is gradually but steadily adjusting downwards in tandem with the forces of demand and supply and the strict implementation of regulatory conditionalities.
“Also, the overwhelming cry of over-centralisation of power and resources at the national level and the attendant abuse of the doctrine of federalism is being systematically addressed.
“This is being addressed through the creation of zonal/regional commissions empowered to devolve developmental impetus to the respective zones and regions, so that power can truly return to the people,” said Mr Wike.
On security, Mr Wike said the situation was being addressed through proper funding and the training and retraining of security forces.
The minister added that Mr Tinubu’s approval for the recruitment of forest guards across the country to take charge of the nation’s forests would no longer provide incubation points and free territories for bandits and terrorists to operate.
“Put simply, the era of banditry and terrorism will soon come to an end,” said Mr Wike. “These and many other policies and measures are being put together by Tinubu to reposition our country on the path of progress and development.”
Earlier, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun described Mr Wike as a straightforward politician, adding that his wealth of political experience and leadership style were exemplary.
Represented by Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi, the governor said the minister’s infrastructural transformation in the FCT was visionary.
Also, the vice-chancellor of the university, Adebayo Bamire, said the theme of the lecture, ‘’Nigeria of our Dream,” was timely and thought-provoking.
The royal father of the day, Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, described Mr Wike as an “upright politician” who “said things as they are.”
“Hate him; like him – what will be will be,” Mr Ogunwusi said.
(NAN)