File photo of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy, saying successive administrations acknowledged that the policy was a scam but lacked the courage to end it.
Wike spoke on Wednesday at a political stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, where he urged Nigerians to support Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“There is no president that came that said fuel subsidy was not a scam. Every president said it was a scam. But nobody had that courage to say it will go,” the minister said.
Wike, who coordinates the Tinubu/APC Presidential Campaign Council in the FCT, recalled Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, 2023, when the President announced the removal of the subsidy.
Wike acknowledged that the policy had contributed to the rising cost of living but expressed optimism that prices would decline as the administration’s economic reforms stabilised.
“We agree that the cost of things are a bit high. By the time the reform is stabilised, the cost of living will come down. That is the sacrifice of removing the fuel subsidy,” he said.
The minister also defended the administration’s broader economic policies, claiming that state governors no longer needed to obtain bank loans and that public universities had not experienced strikes during Tinubu’s tenure.
“Nobody goes to the bank to get loan,” Wike said, referring to state governors.
“Since three years now, has there been any strike in university? Has there been any strike? Let us just say the truth. There has been no strike,” he added.
He, however, admitted that the administration had yet to resolve all the country’s challenges, while maintaining that it had made progress in addressing several problems.
“We cannot say that this administration has solved every problem, no. But within the three years they have come, they have solved a lot of problems,” Wike said.
The ministera also urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the FCT to support Tinubu and candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 elections.
“I know all the PDP FCT will support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will support Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda, will support Dr John Gabaya,” he said.
The minister cited the support of a PDP area council chairman for Tinubu’s re-election bid as evidence that members of the opposition party were already mobilising for the President.
“He is of PDP, is it not correct? But you see, he has come out mobilising for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, mobilising for Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda,” Wike said.
He assured party members that the campaign would provide the necessary logistics for mobilisation.
“All the logistics for our campaign, you will have it. Everything you will have it,” he said.