President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to disregard distractions from critics and focus on delivering results.
The president made this statement on Tuesday during the official inauguration of the newly rehabilitated International Conference Centre in Abuja.
Addressing guests at the ceremony, President Tinubu praised Wike’s commitment to transforming the FCT and urged him not to be swayed by “busybodies and naysayers” attempting to derail his progress.
The minister added that he received pressure about the project from some people whose names he didn’t mention.
In his speech, President Tinubu said the center’s rehabilitation is part of his administration’s efforts to “change the way we do things and reflect us as people of quality, people of character.”
Reacting to Wike’s remark about pressure from people, Tinubu told the minister to focus on his work in the FCT and ignore busybodies and bystanders.
“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.”
Earlier in his speech, Wike said the conference built in 1991 by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida was an eyesore because no renovation work has been done on it since its first inauguration.
Wike said any agency and ministry that intends to use the halls within the centre must pay to sustain and maintain the facility.
He said, “How do we sustained 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.”
President Tinubu reiterated Wike’s remark that anyone willing to use the conference centre must pay for it.
The facility named after the president was reconstructed by Julius Berger Engineering company.
