President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to both infrastructural development and rebuilding public trust in governance. Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima during the official commissioning of the newly rehabilitated Aguma Palace–Radio Nigeria–New Market Road in Gwagwalada Area Council, Tinubu declared a definitive break from the era of unfulfilled government promises.
“What brings us together on this historic day is more than a road,” Shettima said. “It is a reminder that no community under this administration is too far to be seen, and nobody is too pained to be heard.”
He emphasized that the project symbolized the government’s ongoing effort to bridge the gap between “promise and performance.”
The rehabilitated road, described by Tinubu as a “corridor of dignity for the market women, a path to safety for our school children, and a road to prosperity for the hard-working trader,” was celebrated not just as an infrastructure milestone, but as a manifestation of grassroots democracy.
“The days of empty promises and abundant projects are behind us,” he said. “We are not just building infrastructure, we are building confidence in governance.”
Highlighting that the road was nominated by the people of Gwagwalada rather than imposed from above, Shettima praised this as an example of “the kind of participatory democracy we believe in—one that listens, one that responds, and one that delivers.”
The Vice President also touched on wider reforms within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stating that the ongoing projects are part of broader, reform-driven strategies to enhance service delivery. “By expanding the revenue base of the FCT, we are investing in roads, schools, hospitals, and people,” he said.
He praised the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, for his transformative leadership, saying, “Disruption is not a threat to order, but a requirement for progress.”
Wike Slams Political Opposition, Calls for Transparency and Performance
Earlier at the event, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike took aim at opposition politicians, particularly those who recently formed a political coalition against the Tinubu administration just 18 months into its tenure. He dismissed their criticisms as politically motivated and unfounded.
“I never knew people were so pained that so many things are going very well in the FCT,” Wike remarked, referencing a recent TV appearance by an opposition presidential aspirant. “He was angry that key leaders of government were present to commission projects. Yet they say Nigerians are angry.”
Wike questioned the timing of the opposition’s coalition and accused them of misleading the public:
“Eighteen months ago you started a coalition—six months into his tenure? When will you stop deceiving Nigerians?”
He issued a challenge to former government officials like Rotimi Amaechi and David Mark to publicly share their performance records:
“Everybody, show your scorecard. When I was Senate President, let me show my scorecard. How did I help the people of Benue State? How did I help Otukpo?”
“Operation ‘show your scorecard’ has started,” he declared. “You had the opportunity to make Nigerians happy while in office, but you didn’t. Now you’re angry because you’re no longer in power.”
He also took a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, citing his frequent party switches as evidence of political instability:
“Since 1999, he has moved from party to party. Now in 2025, he’s forming another coalition. Were you born into coalition?”
Wike closed his remarks with a stark message to opposition figures:
“You want to come back to power. But you won’t. You will not return to power.”
With the commissioning of the Gwagwalada road and strong political statements from national leaders, the administration signaled both its intention to continue infrastructure development and its readiness to confront critics head-on, demanding performance and transparency across all political divides.
