President Bola Tinubu has advised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to disregard detractors attempting to distract him from his duties.
The president gave this counsel during the inauguration of the newly rehabilitated International Conference Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.
During the ceremony, Wike commended President Tinubu for his leadership in directing the center’s renovation, while revealing he faced pressure from unnamed individuals regarding the project. In response, President Tinubu urged the minister to remain focused on his transformative work in the nation’s capital.
“Don’t pay attention to the busybody and the bystanders. Whatever they say, continue with your good work. You’re a transformational leader, you have the foresight and determination to succeed,” Tinubu stated, offering his full support to the FCT minister.
The president emphasized that the center’s rehabilitation aligns with his administration’s commitment to improving national infrastructure. “This is part of our efforts to change the way we do things and reflect us as people of quality, people of character,” Tinubu added.
Wike provided background on the facility, originally built in 1991 during General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, noting it had become dilapidated after years of neglect. He announced a new policy requiring payment for usage to ensure proper maintenance.
“How do we sustain this? I want to let everybody know, whether you’re a ministry, or an agency and you want to use this, you have to pay something, that’s the only way it can be sustained. Nothing like my brother, my sister is going to have wedding. If you want to use a place like this, then you must drop something,” Wike declared.
President Tinubu endorsed Wike’s position on paid usage, stressing the importance of maintaining the facility. The center, now named after Tinubu, was reconstructed by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, marking another milestone in the administration’s infrastructure renewal agenda.
