WIKE AT UNIPORT: TINUBU’S BOLD REFORMS TURNING INFRASTRUCTURE INTO NATIONAL RENEWAL
By: RABI MUSA UMAR
The FCT Minister, Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decisive actions on infrastructure are “rebuilding Nigeria brick by brick” and proving that purposeful leadership can close the country’s development gap.
Delivering the 36th Convocation Lecture today, June 06, 2026, at the University of Port Harcourt, titled “Leadership and Infrastructure Development in Nigeria: Lessons for Future Leaders”, Barr Wike said the current administration has moved beyond rhetoric to execution, with projects across roads, rail, power, housing, and energy now reshaping Nigeria’s economic future.
“What we are witnessing today is not politics. It is governance with courage”, Barr Wike told the gathering of academics, students, and national leaders.
“Mr. President has chosen the hard road of reform because he knows there is no shortcut to national greatness.
“The evidence is clear: President Tinubu has the courage to confront difficult choices, the capacity to mobilise resources, and the political will to use infrastructure as a real tool of transformation”, he said.
The FCT Minister described infrastructure as the “report card of leadership”, stressing that President Tinubu’s administration has given new life to critical projects including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, East-West Road, and access roads to the Second Niger Bridge.
On rail, he cited the ongoing Port Harcourt-Maiduguri corridor rehabilitation and expansion of standard gauge lines. In power, he referenced the Presidential Power Initiative with Siemens, rural electrification, and mass metering. He also praised the Presidential CNG Initiative and National Hydrogen Policy as bold steps into the future of energy.
Barr Wike said the removal of fuel subsidy, though tough, was “leadership choosing long-term stability over short-term comfort” and has freed up funds for states and the federal government to deliver roads, schools, and hospitals.
He further commended interventions in housing, aviation, broadband, security, and education, noting that the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) is already expanding access for students nationwide.
“Infrastructure is not about flag-offs. It is about finishing. It is about impact. And this President is finishing projects and delivering impact”, Barr Wike declared.
He urged Nigerians to back the administration’s reforms, warning that progress requires consistency. “If this trajectory is to be consolidated and translated into lasting national outcomes, it requires not interruption in leadership, but continuity; not hesitation, but sustained commitment”.
The lecture was part of the activities for the University of Port Harcourt’s 36th Convocation Ceremony.
