Tinubu’s Reforms Will Drive Economic Recovery – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said Nigeria’s economic recovery depends on sustaining the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu.

Wike spoke at a Rainbow Coalition town hall meeting in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State, where he urged Nigerians to support the administration’s economic policies ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said the reforms were necessary to rescue an economy that was in critical condition when Tinubu assumed office.

Recalling his position ahead of the 2023 election, Wike said he had warned that the reforms would be difficult but necessary.

“When in 2023 I came here, I pleaded with you and said, ‘Listen, no matter how difficult it may sound, it is better for us to go the way I was going.’

“So many people were afraid, but to the glory of God, we can see that we never made a mistake,” he said.

Wike urged voters not to entrust the country’s future to what he described as political gamblers, warning that returning to old political practices could undermine economic gains.

“Do not put your destiny into the hands of political gamblers or kalo-kalo players,” he said, while criticising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s repeated presidential bids.

He also criticised former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, over what he described as superficial political engagements, insisting that Nigerians should support leaders with a clear direction.

“People should pick a stance and tell themselves: ‘This is who I am,’ not changing like a chameleon. Tinubu is the person who has shown true direction,” Wike said.

The minister also challenged former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to account for his stewardship of the state between 2007 and 2015, saying political leaders seeking new mandates should be judged by their records in office.

“If I come now to campaign, you must ask me: the one we gave you before, how far?” he said.

Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was designed to build political alignment between the executive and legislature in support of the Tinubu administration’s economic agenda.

He therefore urged voters to support APC-aligned candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives, saying legislative cooperation would be critical to sustaining the reforms.

“I want total mobilisation on the 16th of January 2027. Everybody mobilised—make sure we vote and win decisively to protect our collective future,” he said.