WIKE MAKES FINAL THANK-YOU VISIT TO GWAGWALADA, PLEDGES WATER PROVISION
By: Wisdom Acka
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, has pledged to ensure the provision of potable water to Zuba, a community in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The Minister made this pledge during his final thank-you visit to Area Councils on Wednesday, 11th March 2026.
His words: “You have talked about water; I feel so bad that you don’t have water in Zuba. What I will tell you is that, you should consider it done.”
Conveying President Tinubu’s appreciation, Wike stated: “My dear people, Mr. President has sent me to tell you thank you. Let me tell you, yes, Kasim won under the platform of PDP, but it’s a rainbow coalition. Kasim will support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
He expressed delight over the turnout of the people, saying it was an indication of their happiness with the administration.
Restating that politics is like an agreement, the Minister recalled his popular saying on reciprocity: “If you do for me, I do for you; you fall for me, I fall for you; you push me, I push you.”
The Minister described the visit to Gwagwalada -the only council won by the opposition party (PDP) -as the best of his visits. He urged the Chairman-elect not to apologize for the conduct of a section of his supporters who displayed dissatisfaction with the outgoing chairman, pelting him with sachet water and attempting to attack him.
He said: “Let me thank all of you. This is the best of all the visits I have gone. The chairman was trying to apologize; there’s nothing to apologize for. This is politics. You don’t expect such a crowd and say everything will just go normal. No. There must be some small, you know. So, that is what we say. We agree to disagree. We disagree to agree. That is what happened here. I am not angry at all. So, you don’t need any apology at all.
He commended the people, stating that he respected them for choosing Mohammed Kasim as their Chairman, describing him as “the voice of the people” and pledging to work with him because “this is what you want, and that is why you have gotten Kasim.”
To the new Chairman, Wike said: “My dear brother Kasim, after your inauguration in June, or before your inauguration, what you will do -sit down with your people and identify the projects you want immediately. Because, to be frank, all the things you have mentioned cannot be solved at the same time. So, choose the one that you think is of the most very, very important to the people.”
The Minister also advised the people to follow suit by voting for a popular candidate for the FCT Senatorial seat.
“We are not going to vote again for people who don’t know where Gwagwalada is. People who don’t know where Zuba is. All they do is sit and read Love Magazine. We are not going to make that mistake again,” he affirmed.
“Are you going to make that mistake again?” he asked the crowd, insisting: “We will choose somebody who understands the people of Gwagwalada. Who understands Abuja. So, that is very important, and you know the person.”
Earlier, Kasim stated that the election was over and the FCT would no longer play party politics but focus on governance. He reaffirmed that the FCT Minister is a leader at both the FCT and national levels who accommodates everybody.
He declared: “I am for everybody and for Wike. Everywhere you stand, that is where we stand.”
The incoming Chairman commended the Minister for announcing the elevation of all traditional rulers in the FCT, saying such had never happened since the creation of the nation’s capital.
Speaking on the creation of chieftaincies in the FCT, he appealed for the creation of a first-class chief for the Gbari people of Gwagwalada West, as well as the provision of water in Zuba, among others.
The Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Mohammed Magaji, in his remarks, revealed that they had planned to pay a thank-you visit to the Minister for the good work he is doing in the FCT.
The traditional leader praised the Minister for his handling of the just-concluded election, noting that there was no whatsoever.
Advising politicians, Magaji stated that in an election, there must be a winner and a loser, appealing to the losers to wait for another time.
He thanked the Minister for the automatic promotion of chiefs, for running an all-inclusive government, and for working for all residents without regards to political allegiance.
