Wike: We’ve improved quality of life in FCT, predicts APC’s victory in upcoming Area Council election

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By Anthony Maliki, Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has declared that the FCT Administration (FCTA) has successfully enhanced the standard of living for residents through the strategic provision of vital infrastructure across all sectors.

Speaking during the end-of-year monthly media chat on Monday, December 29, 2025, in Port Harcourt, Rivers, his home state capital, the Minister disclosed that the administration’s focus on tangible projects and the visible improvements in roads, education, and healthcare have translated into a better daily experience for the people of Abuja.

This was contained in a statement to Apex News Exclusive by Rabi Musa Umar, Assistant Director of Press in the Office of the Minister.

Barr. Wike specifically noted that the opening of new road networks has significantly improved movement and productivity within the city while the renovation of schools has also enhanced the learning environment.

He said, “Today you can go to work because the roads have been opened up. We are also renovating schools and improving the learning environment. We have awarded not less than 200 contracts to improve our schools. Similarly, we are renovating health facilities to provide high-quality medical infrastructure.

“You cannot say this government is not doing anything to improve education and health… If you are staying in the FCT, you can see the improvement. If you don’t have a good road, that affects your life”, he added.

Reacting to the FCT’s recent ranking among the top five sub-nationals in the “Ease of Doing Business” in Nigeria, Barr. Wike attributed this success to the administration’s commitment to security and infrastructure development in both the city center and the Area Councils.

He said, “We are creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Abuja is doing well because certain parameters—security and infrastructure—are being met. If you don’t have a safe environment and a good road network, businesses will run away”.

Looking ahead to the forthcoming FCT Area Council elections, the Minister expressed strong confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will emerge victorious. He noted that unlike previous administrations that concentrated development in the city center, the current leadership has extended its reach to rural areas.

“You support candidates based on what your party has been able to do. Today, I have a reason to say vote for this Area Council Chairman based on their performance. Whether you like President Tinubu or not, the issue is: what has he done to change the FCT? Today, the rural areas are seeing the impact of government”, he remarked.

Addressing reforms in land administration, the Minister also clarified that while some decisions may be unpopular with the elite, they were carried out in accordance with the law to protect investors.

Barr. Wike also touched on his political activities in Rivers State, emphasizing the need for synergy between the legislature and the executive, as well as between local and federal levels, to ensure the success of President Tinubu’s administration. He announced an upcoming tour of local governments to thank them for their support and to strengthen the political alliance necessary for national progress.

The Minister also used the opportunity to refute claims made by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State alleging that in a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, he (Wike) offered to hold the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the President.

Barr Wike stressed that Makinde lied, and wondered why the Oyo State Governor could lie so brazenly.

Recall that Makinde had recently told journalists that Wike, during a visit to the State House in 2024, promised to “hold PDP” for President Tinubu.

The Minister emphasized that though they (Wike, then governors of Benue; Ortom, Enugu; Ugwuanyi, Abia; Ikpeazu, states and Makinde) held a meeting with the President, it had nothing to do with PDP, but to show support for the President’s leadership.

According to him, his position on supporting Tinubu had never been hidden and did not need such a meeting to validate it.

“Seyi said I told Tinubu that I will hold PDP for him. Nothing like that happened.

“Everyone knows my stand on Tinubu, I don’t need a meeting to tell him that.

Wike said Governor Makinde was only angry because President Tinubu did not approve his candidate for a ministerial appointment, adding that it was wrong for the governor to want to go on national television to lie against people just because he didn’t get the ministerial slot he wanted from the President.

He said he had not gotten the kind of support Makinde got from Tinubu, including a N50 billion grant for victims of the January 2024 explosion in Bodija in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Wike maintained that the Oyo governor owed his people a duty to tell them how the money was spent, adding that such money should have been appropriated before spending.