•Says govt won’t backtrack in service to people despite opposition by political naysayers 

•FCT Minister to President: Coalition against you has failed 

•Peter Obi, opposition group berate FCTA for spending N39bn to renovate ICC, renaming facility after Tinubu

DejiElumoye, ChuksOkocha, OlawaleAjimotokanand OnyebuchiEzigbo in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday, extended an open invitation to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr. NyesomWike, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), signaling that the doors of the ruling party remain wide open for Wike, who despite serving in his government is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Tinubu acknowledged Wike’s influence and contributions while affirming that his eventual move to the ruling party would be warmly received whenever he chooses to make it official.

This was as Wike, assured the President that the coalition being planned against him by a group of politicians ahead of the 2027 election was doomed to fail.

Also yesterday, the presidential candidate of Labour Party in the last general election, Mr. Peter Obi, berated the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for spending N39 billion to renovate the International Conference Centre (ICC), which was on Tuesday, renamed after President Tinubu.

Likewise, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) described as brazen, the renaming of the ICC after a sitting president.

Speaking at the inauguration of Arterial Road Number N16 ShehuShagari Way, from Ring Road NnamdiAzikiwe to Arterial Road Number N20 Wole Soyinka Way in Abuja, President Tinubu declared:  “We have somebody in NyesomWike. He’s not a member of my party, not yet, but the day he changes his mind and registers with progressives, we will welcome him because we will enjoy him in singing “as e dey pain them, e dey sweet us.”

Tinubu pledged not to go back in service to the people by providing necessary infrastructure nationwide despite strong opposition by political naysayers.

The President said: “I reaffirm our commitment that we will continue to build, we will continue to serve the people, no matter how much the naysayers pursue their politics.”

He stressed that it was through investment in various sectors that the potential of the country could be unlocked.

According to him, “Infrastructure is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It is the bedrock of national competitiveness, growth, social integration and economic opportunity. We recognise that our nation’s development is linked to the quality of infrastructure, connecting people, cities and industry. There is no way industrialisation will flourish without good roads.

“We are investing in roads, rail, power, healthcare, education and digital infrastructure. It is only through this coordinated and integrated development that we can unlock Nigeria’s full potential. I promise you, we will.”

Tinubu urged the community to protect the inaugurated road, saying the government has done its part by ensuring due completion of the road for the use of motorists.

“The road belongs to the community and citizens of Abuja and to us as the federal government. I urge you to protect it and use it wisely. The government has played its part, we did not ignore it, we did not worry about protest,” he added.

The President lauded Wike and his team for the good work they have been doing to give Abuja a new look through positive development in the last two years.

“I commend the Minister of FCT, NyesomWike, his team, because he could not work alone, he could not achieve this alone without your collaboration as a team builder, a team player, it is impossible, but you have proved that teamship is the hallmark of good leadership,” he said.

In his remarks, Wike assured Tinubu that the coalition orchestrated against him ahead of the 2027 election was doomed to failure.

He said the President’s good work had deflated the force in the coalition, members which according to him have been complaining.

“I hardly watch some stations but sometimes, I am spiritually touched to just tune and start watching. This morning I was touched and was watching. I didn’t know that people can be pained.

“And now I know some such people are pained. I now must continue to give them high blood pressure. That’s my job. I’ll be happy every time, moving, laughing, and they will be there fighting and shouting and killing themselves.

“So, Mr. President, we want to thank you that we are part of this, what is going on, the revolution that is going on. Your good work has killed the coalition. I was thinking that, truly, there would be a coalition. So, I told my people, make sure that every national television must be hooked in so that they can see what is happening every day,” Wike said.

The FCT Minister also conveyed the appreciation of the FCT residents to Tinubu over ongoing projects in the territory, which he said was in recognition of the efforts of the President to provide infrastructure that will ameliorate socio-economic challenges.

He, however, knocked the opposition, describing them as people who were disgruntled and never happy with what the administration was doing.

“Like you said yesterday, there are some people, whatever you do, they will never be happy. They were born not to be happy, and so there is nothing you can do about it.

“But those who appreciate, who are happy, you can see how elated they are. That tells you that the day you go to the satellite town, what will happen, because they have never seen it before. It is unbelievable.”

He noted that the contractor, CGC, has confidence in the government that it would be paid, which informed why it agreed to execute the contract without mobilisation before the contract was formally approved by the Federal Executive Council last month.

Wike assured Tinubu that by his third anniversary in office next year, virtually all the contracts he awarded as the chairman of the Federal Executive Council would have been finished and no contractor owed for executed job.

Meanwhile, Peter Obi has berated the FCTA for spending N39 billion in the renovation of the ICC.

Obi was described the renovation of the conference as a wasteful venture, urged the federal government to always invest in ventures like education that would be profitable to the youths in the future.

He said this on a day he donated ten laptops to the Federal Government Girls’ Secondary school in Chibok, Borno State

The former Anambra State Governor equally donated N2 million for the sinking of a borehole in the secondary school where school girls were kidnapped in 2014 by the Boko Haram,

Speaking during the donation to the school, Obi expressed worries that the FCTA could afford to claim that it renovated an existing structure that was in good shape with N39 billion.

He described it as a waste and misplacement of government priority where whereas there were schools in the country where such funds should have been invested for the welfare and educational benefits of children.

According to Obi, ‘’ the N39 billion used to renovate the ICC would have been better used on issues that would benefit the school children who are in dire need of such investment.

‘’N39 billion would have been used to procure thousands and thousands of computers that would have benefited the schools because the children who are leaders would have benefited from it. They are the leaders of tomorrow.

‘’ As we talk, teachers in the Federal Capital Territory are on strike for three months protesting months of non-payment of salaries.

‘’This was one of the things I did when I was the Governor of Anambra State, I made it to the extent that ten students used one computer,” he added.

Obi said the donation would have been done in Chibok community, but he was warned that there was a security risk to do so because of the security situation in the area.

The facilitator of the donations, Mrs. Alisha Yusufu, said the Chibok community got in touch with her and solicited for help to improve computer literacy in the school on May 31, this year, and she immediately got in touch with Obi who quickly offered the donations.

The leader of the Chibok community who received the ten computer laptops, two Laser printers pledged to ensure that the items were put to use for the maximum benefits of the the students.

In the same vein, the CUPP described as brazen the renaming of the ICC after a sitting president.

It also condemned what it described as reckless expenditure in refurbishing of the already functional ICC by the FCTA, while critical sectors like education and healthcare in the FCT were crumbling.

A statement signed by the National Secretary, CUPP, Chief Peter Ameh, said the misallocation of resources, coupled with the brazen renaming of public institutions after President Tinubu, “exposes a disturbing focus on self-glorification over nation-building.”

The coalition said while the facility was built in 1991 under General Ibrahim Babangida for a modest N240 million, the same Conference Centre was alleged to have been renovated at an outrageous cost of N39 billion.

According to CUPP, the ICC was testament to prudent investment in national infrastructure when it was built, adding that General Babangida, despite overseeing its construction from the ground up, never sought to immortalise his name on this landmark.

In stark contrast, the coalition said Tinubu, whose administration merely renovated it, decided to rename it the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre.

“This pattern extends to other public assets, including the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Barracks, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal Polytechnic.

“Such actions reek of personal branding and a desperate bid to rewrite history through paint and concrete, rather than through transformative leadership, “ it said

It said the money squandered on the unnecessary facelift could have funded a new, state-of-the-art national monument or addressed the dire crises plaguing the FCT.

“Primary school children have been out of school for three months due to underfunding and neglect. Area Councils and Primary Healthcare Centers have been paralysed by months-long strikes, leaving communities without essential services.

“These are the real emergencies demanding urgent attention, yet the administration prioritises vanity projects over the welfare of Nigerians.

“While citizens grapple with soaring inflation, insecurity, failing healthcare, and a collapsing education system, the Tinubu administration appears more committed to immortalizing a name than solving these pressing challenges.

“This is not leadership—it is a shameful betrayal of public trust. For context, N39 billion is not just a renovation budget; it is a staggering leap from the N240 million used to build the ICC from scratch. This gross mismanagement of resources demands accountability.

“CUPP calls for an immediate investigation into the FCTA’s expenditure on the ICC renovation and a reorientation of priorities toward education, healthcare, and economic empowerment.

“We urge President Tinubu to focus on building a legacy through tangible solutions—schools that educate, hospitals that heal, and industries that employ—rather than plastering his name on public assets. Nigerians deserve leadership that uplifts the nation, not monuments to personal ambition.

“The time for misplaced priorities is over. Let us build a Nigeria that works for all, not a gallery of self-glorification,” it said.