The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has urged residents of Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, citing the completion of the Bonny-Bodo Road as evidence of his administration’s achievements.

Wike said the road had ended years of dependence on boats and helicopters for access to the island community, describing its completion as a major milestone after successive administrations failed to deliver the project.

The minister spoke on Saturday during a courtesy visit to the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, in Port Harcourt, ahead of an interactive meeting with residents of Bonny Local Government Area.

“The advantage is that we can now go by road to Bonny. Administrations have come, and this road has become a political road. It is not today. So many governments have said, ‘We will try,’ but thank God, under the administration of the present president, this road has been completed,” Wike said.

Wike, who coordinates Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, urged residents to assess political leaders based on their records and ability to deliver projects that improve people’s lives.

He also defended Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy, describing it as a difficult but necessary reform that previous administrations had avoided.

“Each time a president comes, fuel subsidy is a scam. What have you done with it? Nobody has been able to make a courageous decision,” he said.

Although he acknowledged the hardship caused by rising petrol prices and the cost of living, Wike argued that subsidy removal had increased revenue available to state and local governments through federal allocations.

He claimed that states now receive at least N15 billion monthly from federal allocations, excluding other revenue inflows, and urged subnational governments to invest the resources in infrastructure and public services.

The former Rivers State governor maintained that the benefits of economic reforms should be assessed over time rather than solely by their immediate effects on households.

He also claimed that public universities had not embarked on strikes in the three years preceding his remarks, attributing the development to improved funding conditions.

Wike further urged voters to scrutinise the records of politicians seeking public office, arguing that leaders should be judged by their performance, accountability and management of public resources.

He criticised aspects of the previous Rivers State administration, raising questions about the management of funds allocated to major projects, including the proposed 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital and a monorail project.

Wike alleged that $39 million was paid for the proposed hospital without the project reaching the foundation stage. He also claimed that $308 million received from the sale of a power plant in December 2014 had dwindled to $308,000 by the time he assumed office in May 2015.

The allegations were not independently verified from the information available for this report, and responses from the individuals or entities concerned were not included in the account.

The minister also called on community leaders, traditional rulers and youths to identify their most pressing needs and communicate them to the relevant authorities, stressing that development priorities differ across communities.

Earlier, the Amanyanabo welcomed Wike and commended his longstanding relationship with Bonny Kingdom, including his support for the establishment of Bonny Polytechnic while serving as a minister.

The monarch also acknowledged Wike’s contributions to the Bonny-Bodo Road project and interventions on security-related issues, describing the kingdom as an important part of Nigeria’s economic and national life.

LUKMAN ABDULMALIK
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