ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister Nyesom Wike on Thursday launched a scathing attack on former Senate President David Mark, questioning his record on infrastructure while defending President Bola Tinubu’s administration as one that has delivered more road projects within three years than previous governments.
Wike spoke during the commissioning of the Interchange at the Arterial Road N16-Ring Road II Junction linking the Jahi and Gwarinpa districts of Abuja.
President Tinubu was represented at the ceremony by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The minister said recent criticism of the Federal Government by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had inadvertently acknowledged the administration’s achievements in road infrastructure.
According to him, road construction remains the foundation of national development because it improves access to schools, hospitals, farms and other essential services.
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“African Democratic Congress has conceded that in terms of road infrastructure, Mr. President has done very, very well. Without roads, you cannot go to hospital, you cannot go to school, and you cannot go to farm. Roads are the bedrock of development in any society,” Wike said.
Shifting his attention to David Mark, whom he described as the chairman of a faction of the ADC, Wike questioned the former Senate President’s performance while occupying one of the country’s highest political offices.
He cited the Akwanga-Makurdi road as an example of infrastructure that remained in poor condition throughout Mark’s years in office despite its importance to the people of Benue State.
“The poor people could not afford to travel to Makurdi because there was no road. But David Mark, as Senate President then, was flying helicopters.
“Today, because of the intervention of this administration, people can drive freely to Makurdi and Otukpo. The same David Mark, who once relied on helicopters, can now travel by road too,” he said.
Wike argued that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated a commitment to continuity in governance by completing projects inherited from previous governments instead of abandoning them.
Using the Jahi-Gwarinpa interchange as an example, he said the project had been awarded before the current administration assumed office but received neither mobilisation nor significant construction until the present government stepped in.
“One of the problems of development in Nigeria is that new administrations often abandon projects initiated by their predecessors. But President Tinubu has shown that government is a continuum. What matters is completing projects for the benefit of the people, regardless of who awarded them,” the minister stated.
He disclosed that many residents had doubted the project would ever be completed, describing its successful delivery as another milestone in the ongoing transformation of the Federal Capital Territory.
Wike also dismissed claims that his administration was concentrating solely on road construction, insisting that critical investments were equally being made in water supply infrastructure across satellite communities.
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He recalled that the administration recently commissioned a major water project in Karu and announced that another water supply scheme in Bwari would be inaugurated on July 14.
“It is not correct to say we are only doing roads. In Karu, we commissioned water supply infrastructure, and by July 14 we will commission another major water project in Bwari. These are projects designed to improve the lives of ordinary people,” he said.
The FCT minister challenged critics to identify similar investments executed in satellite towns by previous administrations, maintaining that President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was producing visible development across the nation’s capital.
According to him, the administration’s infrastructure drive extends beyond the city centre, with ongoing projects aimed at improving the quality of life for residents in both urban and rural communities throughout the FCT.