According to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the nation needs leaders like President Bola Tinubu in order to realize the “Nigeria of our dreams.”
In his 2025 Distinguish Personality Lecture, “The Nigeria of our Dreams,” which he gave on Thursday at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Mr. Wike made this statement.
Mr. Wike emphasized that the prevalent problem of poor leadership was Nigeria’s biggest obstacle and a hindrance to its progress.
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He concurred with Chinua Achebe, whose seminar, “The Trouble with Nigeria,” aptly encapsulated the problem, when he said that “the absence of proper leadership is fairly and squarely the trouble with Nigeria.”
Despite how harmful it may seem, it is quite hard to refute this notion.
The majority of our leaders have arisen as a result of self-serving plots that are mostly unrelated to the advancement and interests of the country.
He stated, “This has been the case in both military and civilian contexts.”
But according to him, Tinubu has distinguished himself as the leader the people need to propel Nigeria toward development and wealth.
Nigeria needs a leader who is ready to lead with integrity and perseverance in the face of adversity, he clarified.
The leader must also believe in the limitless possibilities that Nigeria represents, he continued, and make wise, proactive, rational, and well-informed choices that will maximize her potential.
“This leader needs to be bold and bold enough to take action, build, innovate, and generally push the boundaries of development with a hands-on approach that would emphasize excellence over mediocrity,” he said.
“More importantly, the leader of Nigeria’s dream must establish a society of responsible and free citizens whose potentials flowed freely and free enterprise flourished,” he continued.
At this point, I’d want to boldly declare that Tinubu is one of the leaders of our nation today.
In many contexts and at various points in time, he has demonstrated a strong dedication to the establishment of democracy in our nation, even going so far as to risk his own life in the process.
“Unprecedentedly rapid and exponential development of Lagos state under his watch and even beyond is evidence of his great capacity to generate development,” he continued.
Additionally, he claimed that Tinubu had shown uncommon bravery by eliminating the fuel subsidy on his first day as president.
He claimed that although previous governments have all discussed the evils of gasoline subsidies, none had the guts to undertake the extortion of doing away with them.
The unavoidable, unexpected, and occasionally planned repercussions of this removal are something Tinubu has dealt with and continues to do.
These days, our states have a lot more resources to work with, debt isn’t piling up, and the price of gasoline is gradually but surely falling in line with supply and demand as well as the stringent enforcement of regulatory requirements.
Additionally, the widespread protest of excessive national power and resource concentration, together with the resulting misuse of federalism, is being methodically addressed.
The establishment of zonal/regional commissions with the authority to transfer developmental momentum to the corresponding zones and regions is one way to address this and ensure that the people regain control.
Speaking on security, Mr. Wike stated that adequate funds and security force training and retraining were being used to address the issue.
With Tinubu’s approval of the hiring of forest guards nationwide to oversee the country’s forests, the minister continued, terrorists and bandits would no longer have free areas to operate and incubate.
Simply put, there will soon be an end to the period of terrorism and banditry.
“Tinubu is putting together these and numerous other policies and measures to put our nation back on the path of development and progress,” Wike stated.
Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun, had earlier called Wike a simple politician and said his leadership style and breadth of political experience were excellent.
The governor praised the minister’s imaginative infrastructure reform in the FCT, as represented by Deputy Governor Kola Adewusi.
The lecture’s theme, “Nigeria of our Dream,” was deemed timely and thought-provoking by Prof. Adebayo Bamire, the university’s vice-chancellor.
At a pivotal point in our country’s democratic history, when issues of governance, civic trust, and equitable development are at the forefront of public conversation, this lecture provides an essential forum for introspection, participation, and forward-thinking.
“It challenges us to examine the systems that support democracy, the values that direct responsible governance, civic engagement, and the tactics that can unleash Nigeria’s development potential,” he stated.
Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Royal Father of the Day and Ooni of Ife, stated that he greatly admires Wike for his courage.
The minister, according to him, was a “upright politician” who “said things as they are.”
“Like him or hate him—what will be will be.”
