Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has sparked reactions nationwide after declaring that Nigeria was essentially ‘dead’ before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took over leadership, stressing that only bold and sometimes unpopular decisions can revive the nation from its deeply-rooted challenges.
Wike made these statements during a heartfelt thanksgiving service held at St. James’ Anglican Church in Asokoro, Abuja. The service took place shortly after he commissioned 16 important projects aimed at transforming infrastructure and service delivery in the Federal Capital Territory, further reinforcing his commitment to development and reform.
While acknowledging that the country still faces overwhelming obstacles on several fronts, Wike pointed out that President Tinubu inherited a broken and dysfunctional system that cannot be fixed overnight. According to him, it would be unrealistic to expect immediate miracles when the foundations were already weakened for years.
“The country was dead,” Wike boldly declared. “It takes hard decisions to bring it back to life. We are aware that we have challenges. But after just two years of a country that had been run down, we expect a miracle worker? It’s not like a prayer where you say, ‘In the name of God, you are healed,’ and it happens instantly. It doesn’t work that way.”
In a passionate address to the congregation, Wike also issued a stern warning to the Church, advising faith leaders to remain cautious and avoid falling prey to political manipulation and propaganda as the 2027 general elections approach. He reminded them of how dangerously close they came to endorsing the “wrong candidate” in 2023 due to emotional sentiments and popular appeal.
“Let me use this opportunity to address the Church – we nearly made the worst mistake in 2023. We must be very careful this time around. It would have been a decision that could have cost some of us our future. We almost made a terrible mistake in 2023,” he emphasized, eliciting murmurs of agreement from the audience.
Continuing his address, Wike took a direct swipe at Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, describing him as hypocritical and questioning his democratic credentials. He criticized Obi for never conducting local government elections during his eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State, while publicly portraying himself as a champion of grassroots democracy.
“Some of you have sympathy for someone you don’t even know. That’s how you nearly made us make a mistake – saying Peter Obi was going to become president. President where?!,” Wike stated with visible frustration. “For eight years, he was governor. He never conducted local government elections. Never. Back then, Nigerians were not angry. They were happy that he refused to conduct elections for eight good years. And you call that democracy? He was the governor and also the chairman of all the local governments. None of you asked questions.”
Further highlighting his concerns about governance and accountability, Wike referenced the recent rehabilitation of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre. He exposed that its former operators were allegedly paying a paltry N50 million annually to the government, while mismanaging the iconic facility and depriving the nation of much-needed revenue.
“Some people were running the Conference Centre and paying the government just N50 million annually. These same people claim they want to rescue Nigeria,” Wike said. “When we visited the Centre, Mr. President said it was an eyesore and not befitting of Nigeria. We shut it down and renovated it within six or seven months. Since then, we have generated over N700 million in just three weeks. Yet, the same people who were paying N50 million a year now say they want to rescue Nigeria. That’s what they want – when you resist them, they try to smear your image.”
He went on to lambast politicians who had been in power for many years but failed to deliver development to their people, yet now boldly claim they have the solutions to Nigeria’s problems. Wike challenged them to show their track records instead of making empty promises.
“People who were in power for eight, even 20 years, had the opportunity to bring development to their states but didn’t. Back then, Nigerians were not angry. Now that they’re no longer in power, Nigerians are suddenly angry. If I say I want to rescue Nigeria, ask me what I did when I had the opportunity. Ask me what I did as governor of Rivers State. I can say, ‘Yes, I did this and that.’ And now, as FCT Minister, I am doing this and that,” he stated confidently, defending his record both as a former governor and as a serving minister.
Addressing the sensitive topic of insecurity, Wike reminded Nigerians that major security challenges like train bombings and oil subsidy fraud had been festering long before Tinubu came to power. He stressed that Tinubu’s administration inherited these problems and is now confronting them head-on despite immense resistance and criticism.
“Were the bombings of trains going to Kaduna under Bola Tinubu’s administration? No. That was before. The oil subsidy scam – was Tinubu the president then? No. But now someone has come to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ We can’t continue with a few people making billions off Nigeria. When I was governor, my state never got more than 14 billion per month. Today, some states are receiving over 50 billion monthly,” he explained, highlighting the discrepancies and changes in revenue distribution.
Wike concluded his passionate speech by urging Nigerians to remain patient and offer their unwavering support to the current administration. He encouraged the Church to focus on prayers rather than political manipulation, emphasizing the importance of faith and collective national effort to achieve genuine progress.
“All I ask of the Church is patience and prayers for Mr. President,” he concluded. “Forget those who had the chance to fix Nigeria and failed. They won’t get that opportunity again.”