Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), claims that in order to realize the “Nigeria of our dreams,” the nation requires leaders such as President Bola Tinubu.
This was stated by Mr. Wike during his 2025 Distinguish Personality Lecture, “The Nigeria of our Dreams,” which was held on Thursday at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife.
Mr. Wike noted that the scourge of poor leadership was Nigeria’s biggest problem and a factor impeding its progress.
Tiamin rice
When he said that “the trouble with Nigeria is fairly and squarely the absence of proper leadership,” he concurred with Chinua Achebe, whose seminar, “The Trouble with Nigeria,” aptly encapsulated the problem.
Even if this remark seems harmful, it is quite hard to refute.
Our leaders have mostly arisen from self-serving plots that have little to do with the advancement and interests of the country.
“This has occurred in both civilian and military settings,” he stated.
However, he asserted that Tinubu had distinguished himself as the leader the people required to propel Nigeria toward development and wealth.
He clarified that Nigeria requires a leader who is ready to lead with moral integrity and fortitude in the face of adversity.
He went on to say that the leader must also have faith in the limitless potential of the Nigerian people and make wise, proactive, rational, and well-informed choices that would maximize their potential.
He asserted that this leader needs to be bold and courageous enough to take action, construct, invent, and generally push the boundaries of growth with a hands-on approach that prioritizes greatness over mediocrity.
More crucially, he said, the leader of Nigeria’s dream must establish a society of responsible, free citizens whose potentials were unrestricted and free enterprise flourished.
At this point, let me boldly declare that Tinubu is one such leader that our nation currently has.
He has demonstrated a strong dedication to upholding democracy in our nation in a number of ways and at various points in time, even risking his life to do so.
He continued by saying, “He has demonstrated a great capacity for engendering development, as evidenced by the historically rapid and exponential development of Lagos State under his watch and even beyond.”
He added that on his first day as president, Tinubu showed uncommon bravery by eliminating the fuel subsidy.
He claims that although previous leaders had all discussed the evils of fuel subsidies, none had the guts to take the risk of eliminating them.
Tinubu dealt with the unavoidable, unexpected, and occasionally planned repercussions of this removal and is still doing so.
Alongside the forces of supply and demand and the rigorous enforcement of regulatory conditionalities, our states now have a lot more resources to develop, debt is no longer mounting, and the price of gasoline is gradually but slowly declining.
Additionally, a systematic effort is being made to address the overwhelming concern about the over-centralization of power and resources at the national level, as well as the resulting misuse of the federalism theory.
In order to genuinely return power to the people, this is being addressed via the establishment of zonal/regional commissions that are empowered to provide developmental momentum to the corresponding zones and regions.
According to Mr. Wike, security officers are being trained and retrained, and adequate budget is being used to address the issue.
The minister went on to say that with Tinubu’s approval of the hiring of forest guards nationwide to oversee the country’s forests, terrorists and bandits would no longer have free areas to operate and incubate.
Simply said, the time of terrorism and banditry is about to end.
Wike stated, “Tinubu is putting together these and numerous other policies and measures to put our nation back on the path of progress and development.”
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Wike was previously characterized as a simple politician by Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke, who also noted that his leadership style and extensive political experience were excellent.
The governor, who was represented by Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi, praised the minister’s innovative infrastructure makeover in the Federal Capital Territory.
Additionally, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, the university’s vice chancellor, stated that the lecture’s theme, “Nigeria of our Dream,” was relevant and thought-provoking.
“This lecture provides an essential forum for introspection, participation, and forward-thinking at a pivotal point in our country’s democratic path, when issues of governance, civic trust, and equitable development are at the forefront of public discourse.
He stated, “It challenges us to examine the systems that support democracy, the values that direct responsible governance, citizenship, and the tactics that can unleash Nigeria’s development potential.”
According to Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Royal Father of the Day and Ooni of Ife, he has a great deal of admiration for Wike because of his courage.
He stated the minister “said things as they are” and was a “upright politician.”
“Like him or hate him—whatever happens will happen.”
