The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the government’s ongoing efforts to address infrastructure challenges in the nation’s capital.
Wike also dismissed critics who claim there have been no improvements in the FCT since he became minister.
During an inspection of various road projects across the FCT on Wednesday, Wike described those who criticize the government’s initiatives as “sadists” who refuse to acknowledge the positive changes taking place.
The Minister inspected ongoing road projects at Guzape Lot 2, handled by Gilmor Construction, the Goodluck Jonathan Expressway project by Salini Nigeria Limited, road resurfacing projects in Asokoro by Julius Berger, and infrastructure developments in the Diplomatic Area.
“I don’t know about criminals. I have always told you that there are those who will never be happy in their lives. Anybody who says that there are no improvements in terms of streetlights is a sadist. We are trying to make some repairs of those that have been vandalised, which is not easy,” said Wike.
Responding to further questions about streetlight vandalism and public safety concerns, the Minister acknowledged the challenges of repairing vandalized infrastructure but assured the public that efforts are ongoing to address these issues.
He dismissed accusations of rising criminality, suggesting that those making such claims might be complicit themselves.
“Like when you heard Salini say here that they’ve tested it, but (the lights) have not been on because they are waiting for commissioning. So maybe this is part of the areas that they think that is dark.
“When they say criminals, I think those who are saying so are part of the criminals themselves. We should be able to commend government when there are improvements. I didn’t say here that we are going to concentrate only on roads.
“We are saying we are going to dwell on the health sector, the education sector, even agriculture. These people know, it’s just that some Nigerians find it difficult to accept the reality on ground that things have changed”, he said.
On the issue of land disputes between FCT natives and the military, Wike said discussions with the Chief of Defence Staff were ongoing, assuring that the issues will be resolved amicably.
He expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for signing FCT’s 2024 Statutory Budget which he said will usher in “a revolution of infrastructure in Abuja and create numerous job opportunities across various sectors.”