Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, has berated a former Senate President, David Mark, saying his leadership record while in office could not in any way match the achievements of President Bola Tinubu on road infrastructure within three years in office.
Wike made the criticism yesterday at the commissioning of the Interchange at Arterial Road N16–Ring Road II Junction linking Jahi and Gwarimpa districts in Abuja, where Tinubu was represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
His remarks followed the recent tide of criticisms by the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), which he said had nonetheless acknowledged the administration’s achievements in road infrastructure.
“ADC has conceded that in terms of road infrastructure, Mr. President has done very, very well. Without roads, you cannot go to hospital, you cannot go to school, and you cannot go to farm. Roads are the bedrock of development in any society,” he said.
He questioned the infrastructural record of the National Chairman of ADC in his eight years in leadership position, noting that the Akwanga-Makurdi road remained in deplorable condition despite being awarded during Mark’s tenure as Senate President under a ruling party’s government.
Wike said: “The poor people could not afford to travel to Makurdi because there was no road. But David Mark, as Senate President then was flying helicopters.
“Today, because of the intervention of this administration, people can drive freely to Makurdi and Otukpo. The same David Mark, who once relied on helicopters can now travel by road too.”
The minister emphasised that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated what could be achieved through political will and commitment to continuity in governance.
He affirmed that the Jahi-Gwarimpa interchange project was awarded by the immediate past administration without any mobilisation or significant progress until the present government intervened.
“One of the problems of development in Nigeria is that new administrations often abandon projects initiated by their predecessors.
“But President Tinubu has shown that government is a continuum. What matters is completing projects for the benefit of the people, regardless of who awarded them,” he said.
Wike disclosed that residents of the area had long doubted the project would ever be completed, describing its delivery as a significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of the Federal Capital Territory.
He also rejected claims that the administration’s development efforts were limited to road construction, citing investments in water infrastructure across satellite towns.
The minister challenged critics to point to comparable investments in satellite towns during previous administrations, insisting that the Renewed Hope Agenda was delivering tangible benefits across the FCT.