Tinubu’s govt transforming Nigeria via infrastructure, says Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says the courageous leadership, vision, and political will demonstrated by President Bola Tinubu is responsible for bridging Nigeria’s longstanding development gap.

Wike, who cited ongoing infrastructure projects Nigeria as evidence of purposeful leadership, described the scale, direction, and momentum of infrastructure initiatives under the Tinubu administration as a reflection of a leadership committed to national transformation.

The minister said this while delivering a lecture at the 36th convocation ceremony of the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

The lecture was titled, ‘Leadership and Infrastructure Development in Nigeria: Lessons for Future Leaders’.

Wike said: “What the present moment offers is a rare and defining possibility, a window in which purposeful leadership can begin, in earnest, to narrow the enduring gap between Nigeria’s vast potential and its historically uneven performance.

“In this regard, the evidence increasingly suggests that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated, beyond reasonable doubt, the courage to confront difficult choices, the capacity to mobilise national resources, and the will to pursue infrastructure as a serious instrument of transformation.”

Wike stated that infrastructure remains the clearest measure of leadership effectiveness, stressing that roads, railways, power projects, housing schemes, and digital infrastructure are critical foundations for economic growth and social development.

He noted that while some ongoing projects were inherited from previous administrations, the Tinubu government has injected renewed urgency and strategic direction into their execution.

According to him, projects that previously existed as isolated initiatives are now being integrated into a broader national development framework aimed at stimulating productivity, strengthening national cohesion and expanding economic opportunities.

Wike cited major projects including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, the East-West Road, and access roads to the Second Niger Bridge as examples of the administration’s commitment to reshaping Nigeria’s economic landscape.

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The minister also highlighted ongoing investments in rail transportation, including the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway corridor and efforts to expand standard gauge networks across the country.

In the power sector, Wike pointed to the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative in partnership with Siemens, as well as rural electrification programmes and mass metering schemes designed to improve electricity supply and restore consumer confidence.

Wike further commended the administration’s energy transition agenda, particularly the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative and the National Hydrogen Policy, describing them as forward-looking interventions that align Nigeria with emerging global energy realities.

He also referenced investments in housing, aviation, broadband infrastructure, security architecture and education, including the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said is helping to expand access to higher education.

Wike described the removal of fuel subsidy as one of the boldest decisions taken by the administration, arguing that the policy has created additional fiscal space for governments at different levels to invest in critical infrastructure and development projects.

“Transformative leadership often requires the courage to choose long-term stability over short-term comfort,” he stated.

The former Rivers State Governor maintained that infrastructure development should not be assessed by the number of projects announced but by their successful completion and long-term impact on citizens.

Wike warned that Nigeria’s development aspirations would remain unattainable without sustained investments in roads, power, transportation, healthcare, and education.

While acknowledging that infrastructure development is a long-term undertaking whose benefits may not be immediately visible, Wike urged Nigerians to support efforts aimed at building a functional and integrated economy.

“If this trajectory is to be consolidated, deepened, and translated into lasting national outcomes, it requires not interruption in leadership, but continuity; not hesitation, but sustained commitment,” the minister said.