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Says Tinubu is grappling with the consequences of subsidy removal
By Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has called on governments at all levels and citizens to join hands in reclaiming the Nigerian dream.
He expressed displeasure that Nigeria’s glory is often dimmed by the failures of those entrusted with power and by a followership that has too often become passive.
Wike, who delivered the 2025 Distinguished Personality Lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, entitled “Nigeria of Our Dreams”, on Thursday, June 5, 2025, noted that President Bola Tinubu is grappling with the consequences of the bold step he took by removing the fuel subsidy.
He said, “Reclaiming Nigeria’s dream demands a rekindling of vision and values. We must reimagine the country not as victims of its history but as architects of its destiny. We must rebuild trust between government and the governed, among ethnic nationalities, across faiths, and generations. We must rediscover the dignity of labour, the sanctity of truth, and the strength of unity. Most of all, we must believe again that our country, however flawed, is not beyond redemption.
“This work belongs to all of us. No one is too small to matter or too big to fail. Nigeria’s redemption will not be delivered by heroes on horseback but by ordinary citizens doing extraordinary things: living with integrity, speaking truth to power, raising children with values, and holding firm to hope even when the night is long. The dream is not dead. It merely sleeps, waiting for those bold enough, brave enough, and burdened enough to awaken it.”
He noted that President Tinubu has shown, in several ways and at different times, a stout commitment to the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria, to the extent of even putting his own life on the line in the process.
“He has shown great capacity for engendering development, as captured in the unprecedentedly rapid and exponential development of Lagos State under his watch and even beyond. On his first day, upon being sworn in as president, he demonstrated rare courage by removing the hydra-headed fuel subsidy that was impoverishing generations of Nigerians and binding them into avoidable and perennial debt. Leaders before him all spoke about the evil of fuel subsidies, but none had the courage to dare the blackmail of removing them. Tinubu did and is fittingly grappling with the inevitable, unintended, and sometimes orchestrated consequences of this removal.
“Today, our states have far more resources to develop, the debts are no longer piling, and the price of petrol is gradually but steadily adjusting downwards in tandem with the forces of demand and supply and the strict implementation of regulatory conditionalities.
“The overwhelming cry of over-centralisation of power and resources at the national level and the attendant abuse of the doctrine of federalism is being systematically addressed through the creation of zonal/regional commissions empowered to devolve developmental impetus to the respective zones and regions so that power can truly return to the people.
“The security situation is being addressed through proper funding and the training and retraining of our army and other security forces. There is no doubt that with the recent presidential approval for the recruitment of forest guards across the country to take charge of our forests, bandits and terrorists would no longer find incubation points and free territories to operate. Put simply, the era of banditry and terrorism would soon come to an end. These and many other policies and measures are being put together by the president to reposition our country on the path of progress and development,” Wike said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the OAU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, commended President Tinubu for his interventions aimed at reshaping and repositioning higher education in Nigeria, especially in creating an environment conducive to learning, innovation, and development.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, commended Wike for his commitment to achieving the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Prof. Siyan Oyeweso, appreciated the minister for honouring the university’s invitation, noting that he was specifically chosen for the lecture for his boldness in speaking the truth at all times.