Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, said Nigeria requires visionary leaders like President Bola Tinubu to realise the “Nigeria of our dreams.”
Wike made the assertion in his 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture titled, “The Nigeria of Our Dreams,” delivered at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Thursday.
The minister identified bad leadership as the most significant obstacle to Nigeria’s development, echoing renowned author Chinua Achebe’s famous assertion in ‘The Trouble with Nigeria’ that the nation’s primary challenge is the absence of proper leadership.
“This statement, damaging as it may appear, is extremely difficult to controvert. Our leaders have, in the main, emerged through self-serving conspiracies that have little or nothing to do with national interests and development. This has been the case in both military and civilian contexts,” he said.
However, the minister emphasised that Tinubu has distinguished himself as the leader Nigeria needs to drive progress and prosperity.
He outlined the qualities of an ideal leader, stating that such a person must exhibit sound character, resilience, and a belief in Nigeria’s potential while making proactive, well-informed decisions.
“This leader must have the courage and audacity to act, build, innovate, and expand the frontiers of development with a hands-on approach that emphasises excellence over mediocrity.
“More importantly, the leader of Nigerians’ dream must create a society of free and responsible citizens where potentials flow freely and free enterprise thrives,” he said.
He praised Tinubu’s boldness in removing fuel subsidies upon assuming office, a move previous administrations had shied away from despite acknowledging its necessity.
“Tinubu did and is fittingly grappling with the inevitable, unintended, and sometimes orchestrated consequences of this removal.
“Today, our states have far more resources to develop, the debts are no longer piling, and the price of petrol is gradually but steadily adjusting downwards in tandem with market forces,” he said.
The minister also highlighted Tinubu’s efforts to address over-centralisation of power through the creation of zonal commissions and improved security measures, including the recruitment of forest guards to curb banditry and terrorism.
“Put simply, the era of banditry and terrorism would soon come to an end,” he declared.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi, commended Wike as a “straightforward politician” with an exemplary leadership style, saying that his infrastructural transformation in the FCT is visionary.
The vice-chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, described the lecture’s theme as “timely and thought-provoking,” noting its relevance to Nigeria’s democratic and developmental challenges.
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, praised Wike’s fearlessness, calling him an “upright politician who says things as they are. Hate him; like him, what will be will be,” the monarch said.
