The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that residents of Abuja are already experiencing the effects of ongoing policies and development projects under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Wike made the comments on Monday during a media chat in Abuja, where he addressed concerns questioning whether government programmes were having a real impact on citizens.
He dismissed suggestions that the administration had failed to make meaningful progress, arguing that such perceptions were often shaped by sentiment.
“When I begin to hear people say, people are angry, people are not feeling the impact of government, I say, come, is it really just because we want to say so that we are saying something to criticise the government?” he said.
While acknowledging that the administration has not fully achieved all its objectives, Wike insisted that its efforts should not be disregarded.
“I’m not saying the government have done everything, I’m not saying so,” he said.
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He maintained that anyone living in Abuja should be able to notice ongoing development and interventions across the capital.
“But if you are really a resident in Abuja, can you, in truth, say you don’t feel the impact of this government? Forget about your sentiment. Forget about, oh, I want my village man to be president.”
The minister further urged Nigerians to separate political emotions from objective evaluation of government performance, stressing that sentiment often distorts judgment.
“If you are really staying in Abuja, will you say this government has not made any impact in terms of whatever you may name?” he asked.
Wike added that despite the administration not yet achieving full delivery on its promises, progress is being made.
“And we are not saying we have done 100%. If we have done 100%, we don’t need to say, okay, give him another opportunity.”
He concluded that there is still “hope” in the direction of the administration’s ongoing policies.