ABUJA IS SAFE, WIKE REITERATES

…AS HE INSPECTS ONGOING PROJECTS IN WUYE, KUJE

By: Wisdom Acka & Prudence Okonna

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, has reiterated that Abuja is one of the safest cities in Nigeria.

Wike made the declaration while responding to journalists on Abuja’s state of insecurity after a tour of projects in the nation’s capital on Saturday, 4th October, 2025.

He argued that the security situation in the FCT has improved since he assumed office, assuring that the FCT Administration was not leaving any stone unturned to maintain the Territory’s security.

His words: “The state of security is not the same as when we came in….I tell people; light up Abuja is not only to beautify the city, it is also to improve security.

“You will give us and the security agencies credit that we are doing quite a lot to make Abuja safe, and Abuja has been safe. But we don’t agree that Abuja is not safe. Something may happen doesn’t mean that the place is not safe.

“The problem we have is that when one incident happens, we forget that nothing happened three months ago. If there is one safe city in Nigeria, I think Abuja is,” he declared.

Emphasizing his point, the Minister likened Abuja’s situation to Michigan’s, stressing that the incident which led to the death of Charlie Kirk did not mean that America is not safe.

Commenting on indiscriminate waste dumping in the Territory, Wike acknowledged that it was another challenge his Administration was determined to tackle, revealing that the refuse was already being removed.

He expressed optimism that contracts for refuse disposal in the satellite towns and the city would be awarded within two weeks, even as he noted that only contractors with capacity and equipment, not “political contractors,” would be considered.

“Just be patient with us. We are also not happy about it, but we are doing everything to resolve it,” he appealed.

The Minister inspected projects for the provision of engineering infrastructure to Wuye District, and the development of FCT highway 105, a dual carriageway connecting the Airport Road to Kuje town.

He also expressed satisfaction with the quality of the two projects and optimism over their availability for commissioning by President Bola Tinubu for his third anniversary.

“We pray God willing, just like they had promised with our support, which we will continue to support, at the latest, by the third year of our service to our President. We believe that this will be one of those roads that we inaugurate, to be the delight of the residents of Abuja, to be the delight of the entire people of Abuja, and of course, to the happiness of the normal Nigerians,” the Minister assured.