By Eunice Orike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s transformative impact on Abuja, says his leadership has changed the city’s narrative forever.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Kugbo Bus Terminal on Thursday, the Minister expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for honoring the FCT’s invitation to commission the project, which is one of the 17 projects lined up for commissioning.
Wike said the president vision in approving the project which is aimed at providing a safe and organised transportation system for residents of Abuja is highly appreciated.
“Mr President, when you go inside there, you’ll be able to say that, look, I think people should be able to, I mean, even if I don’t like you, if you are doing something good, I appreciate it. Mr. President, you’re doing something, which has changed the landscape of Abuja, for Abuja to compete like all other cities in the world.
So, even if you don’t like Mr. President, for liking sake, appreciate the good work that Mr. President is doing. Any right-thinking person who has conscience would not say that Mr. President has not done a lot as far as Abuja is concerned. Mr. President has changed the narrative as far as FCT is concerned.
“Mr. President, let me, on behalf of the residents and the administration of the FCT, once again thank you for honoring our invitation for the 11th day out of the 17 days. Today is the 11th day of commissioning projects under your administration. We want to sincerely thank you for taking that time.
Today, we are here, to the glory of God, you are the one to also commission the project. I want to sincerely thank you for the kind of support you are giving to FCT. Even though your support also has cost me a lot of problems, a lot of enemies, but I prefer it. Continue to support me, let me have enemies, with you alone , there are 20 million enemies, the minister said.
The minister wondered how since the creation of Abuja, a capital city of a country, cannot have an organized transport system.
“We don’t have terminals where somebody can say, I’m going to a certain place. Now, we are going to build another one in Bwari and Gwagwalada. So that, if you are coming to the city, you know that you are safe. If you lose any of your items, you know the vehicle you boarded. That is the way it is all over the world”, the minister said.
The Minister noted that the terminal, which is equipped with advanced security features, including comprehensive CCTV surveillance, will eradicate the menace of one-chance robberies and kidnappings in the city.
He announced that the terminal will be managed by private operators, who will pay revenue to the government, to ensure its sustainability.
Mr President, I want to say, you know, government is not a good business person. This will not be run by the transport Secretariat, no. It will be managed by private persons who have the idea to run this kind of business, and they pay us revenue.
“It will be manned by private people, so that we can talk about how it will be sustained. Because if you allow government, civil servants, politicians, to do this, I can tell you, in two weeks time, it will die,” Wike said.
Wike also commended the President commitment to transparency and accountability, describing it as a testament to his dedication to improving the lives of Nigerians.
“We will continue to support Mr. President and thank him for giving us the opportunity to be part of this success story. You know, you can be a part of an administration that’s not successful. I’m happy. I’m part of an administration that’s successful. Whether you like it, you don’t like it, the truth must be told.
If you don’t know how Mr. President is working, come to Abuja. Take it from here, you will know that the president is doing very, very well. So, I’m not here talking because of party or no party”, the minister said.
He also commended the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, for his support and leadership, saying that he is a true leader in the South-south region.
The Minister thanked the National Assembly for their support in passing the FCT’s budget, which has enabled the administration to fulfill its promises to Nigerians.
