The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has affirmed that Nigeria requires visionary leaders like President Bola Tinubu to realize the “Nigeria of our dreams.”
Delivering the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture titled “The Nigeria of Our Dreams” at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Wike underscored that poor leadership remains the greatest barrier to Nigeria’s progress.
Referencing the late Chinua Achebe’s seminal work The Trouble with Nigeria, Wike echoed the view that the country’s fundamental challenge is the lack of effective leadership.
“Our leaders have frequently emerged through self-serving arrangements that disregard the nation’s interests, whether under military or civilian regimes,” he remarked.
Yet, Wike pointed to Tinubu as the exemplary leader capable of driving Nigeria toward sustained development and prosperity.
He emphasized the need for a leader with integrity, resilience, and unwavering faith in Nigeria’s enormous potential someone committed to making decisive, informed decisions to unlock that promise.
“This leader must be courageous enough to innovate, build, and advance development, prioritizing excellence over mediocrity,” Wike asserted.
Crucially, such a leader must foster a society of free, responsible citizens and nurture an environment where entrepreneurship can flourish.
Wike confidently identified President Tinubu as this leader, highlighting his steadfast commitment to democracy going so far as to risk his life and his transformative achievements in Lagos State.
He praised Tinubu’s boldness in removing the fuel subsidy on his very first day in office, a difficult but necessary step that many predecessors talked about but never enacted.
“Tinubu is now managing the inevitable challenges of that decision,” Wike noted, adding that states now enjoy greater resources for development, national debt is decreasing, and fuel prices are more closely aligned with market realities.
He also lauded Tinubu’s efforts to decentralize governance through zonal and regional commissions, a move that returns power to the people and addresses the problem of over-centralization.
On security, Wike pointed to enhanced funding, training, and recruitment of forest guards aimed at tackling banditry and terrorism, confidently forecasting a decline in insecurity.
Earlier in the event, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, via his deputy, praised Wike for his straightforward leadership style and visionary infrastructure projects in the FCT.
Obafemi Awolowo University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, described the lecture’s theme as timely and insightful, urging deeper reflection on governance and democratic ideals.
Meanwhile, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, commended Wike’s fearless and honest approach to politics, stating, “Hate him; like himwhat will be will be.”
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