Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed assertions that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is controlled by a cabal, insisting that the President remains firmly in charge of his administration.
Speaking on Thursday during the 2025 OAU Distinguished Personality Lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University, Wike stated,
“Under Tinubu, there is nothing like a cabal. This is a president that is in charge. He has shown that he has the courage.”
In his keynote address, the former Rivers State governor commended President Tinubu for enacting bold reforms that previous administrations avoided, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and unification of foreign exchange rates. Wike noted that without subsidy removal, “many people would still be benefiting from fuel subsidy fraud.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s six decades since independence, Wike acknowledged the nation’s shortcomings but emphasized that “all imaginable fault lines are cracking,” and urged Nigerians to adopt governance frameworks that restore hope and drive progress.
“Let us leave for the next generation resolves and not regrets,” he said, calling for renewed commitment to national unity, trust-building, and civic responsibility.
Addressing critics of his tenure as FCT Minister particularly those opposing his push for ground rent collection Wike challenged their objections as misguided.
“Heaven will not fall,” he said, reaffirming that “ground rent defaulters in Abuja must pay their debts.”
High-profile attendees included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Samuel Ortom (Benue), among others.
