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Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday declared that the commencement of political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections would not distract his administration from delivering ongoing infrastructure projects, insisting that the government’s greatest campaign strategy remains its performance.

“We are already campaigning with our performance. The major campaign is to provide the dividends of democracy. What are you going to tell the people when you have nothing to show? Our campaign is showing what we have done,” Wike said while inspecting ongoing road projects in Abuja.

The minister stressed that governance and politics would not conflict under his watch, maintaining that the visible transformation across the FCT had already become the strongest campaign message for President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“All we have to do is go back to the people and tell them we made promises and kept them. People want to see your report card, not empty rhetoric. As far as the FCT is concerned, we have shown our report card, and we have no problem winning any election whenever INEC fixes it,” he said.

Wike made the remarks after inspecting the construction of the Arterial Road N16 from Ring Road 11 to Ring Road III, linking Jahi with Gwarimpa and Karsana, being executed by CBC Global, and the 7.3-kilometre Tunga Madaki-Zuba road connecting the Abuja-Kaduna Highway, handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

Expressing satisfaction with the pace of work on the Arterial Road N16 project, the minister disclosed that the contractor had assured the FCT Administration of completing the project by January.

“The road is very critical. If they deliver it by January as promised, I will be highly impressed. On our part, we will ensure adequate funding because once this road is completed, the entire Gwarimpa axis will be opened up,” he said.

On the Tunga Madaki-Zuba road, Wike praised CCECC for maintaining its reputation for timely delivery, noting that the company had assured the government of completing the project by December.

“I’m very impressed with what they are doing. The promises we made during the flag-off and commissioning of these projects are likely to be fulfilled. Despite the rains slowing earthworks, they have concentrated on drainage construction, which is progressing well,” he said.

The minister also disclosed that he had approved the relocation of electricity poles along the route to pave the way for the installation of streetlights.

He commended the commitment of Chinese construction firms handling major FCT projects, noting that many commence work without waiting for mobilisation payments because of their confidence in the government’s commitment to honour contractual obligations.

“What gives us happiness with these companies, particularly the Chinese companies, is that they don’t wait for mobilisation before starting work. They know the government will pay, and funding has not been a problem. As soon as I return to the office, I will ensure that funds are made available so we can achieve what we have promised,” Wike said.

He urged the contractors to sustain their partnership with the government and maintain the quality and pace of execution that have characterised ongoing projects across the territory.

The minister’s inspection forms part of the FCT Administration’s routine monitoring of infrastructure projects aimed at ensuring timely completion of roads and other critical public facilities under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.

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President Bola Tinubu has said 2027 presidential election is going to be a battle he is ready to fight till the end.

He warned opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, that they must defeat him through the ballot box if they hope to unseat him.

The President made the remarks on Tuesday while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Speaking during the meeting, Tinubu said he was prepared for a fair democratic contest and insisted that politics is a competitive process where every contestant has an equal opportunity.

“Those who would take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics, and there is equal opportunity. I won’t offer them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me at home. No, we will wrestle each other to the finishing point. That’s the truth.

That is fair in politics,” the President said. Tinubu also rejected allegations that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is biased, maintaining that the electoral body has remained impartial.

According to him, political opponents questioning the commission’s neutrality are merely expressing fears over their own political prospects.Politics “INEC is neutral. It has never, ever intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolf, then they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the company they keep,” he stated.

The President used the meeting to defend the economic reforms introduced by his administration, saying they were beginning to produce positive results despite the initial hardship experienced by Nigerians.

He cited the uninterrupted academic calendar in public universities as one of the administration’s notable achievements, pointing out that the absence of strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had brought relief to students and their families. “None of your children in university today—and I would say they are all your children because you are Reverend Fathers—can say a four-year course is not four years.

ASUU is not on strike. They are not bringing agony to your homes. Is that not an answer to our prayers? To me, that’s an answer,” Tinubu said. The President acknowledged that his administration inherited significant economic challenges from the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari but insisted that the country had now achieved stability and was on the path to economic recovery. “This government has stabilized, and there is prosperity on the horizon. The quality of life is improving,” he said. “I inherited it. I didn’t run away. I asked for this job. I’m in it.”

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The Plateau State Government has defended Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang over the controversy surrounding his recent remarks during an engagement with leaders of the Igbo community, insisting that his comments have been misrepresented and taken out of context.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor, Dr. Gyang Bere, the government said Mutfwang’s remarks were made in the spirit of reconciliation, appreciation and national unity, contrary to interpretations suggesting otherwise.

The clarification follows mixed reactions to comments made by the governor during a courtesy visit by leaders of the Igbo community to the Government House in Jos, with critics alleging that he apologised over the role of Plateau indigenes during the Nigerian Civil War.
Responding to the criticism, the government said the governor neither sought to diminish the experiences of any ethnic group nor distort the historical realities of the civil war.

It maintained that Mutfwang’s remarks were intended to acknowledge the resilience, enterprise and contributions of the Igbo community to the economic and social development of Plateau State while encouraging peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.

“The scars of that period remain part of our national history and deserve to be remembered with empathy, honesty and sensitivity,” the statement said, adding that the lessons of the civil war should strengthen national unity rather than reopen old wounds.
The government also highlighted Plateau’s long history of accommodating people from different parts of the country, describing the state as one of Nigeria’s foremost examples of peaceful coexistence.
According to the statement, successive administrations, beginning with Joseph Dechi Gomwalk and later Solomon Lar, laid the foundation for an inclusive society in which the Igbo community has thrived and contributed significantly to commerce, education, healthcare and industry.

The statement further aligned the state’s inclusive tradition with former Head of State Yakubu Gowon’s post-war “No Victor, No Vanquished” policy and the programme of Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, describing the approach as a globally recognised model for post-conflict healing.

The government said Governor Mutfwang remained committed to preserving that legacy through policies that promote dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.

It urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as distorted interpretations of the governor’s remarks, warning that such narratives could inflame ethnic divisions and distract from the broader message of unity and national cohesion.

Reaffirming the administration’s position, the government said Mutfwang believes every Nigerian, regardless of ethnicity, religion or place of origin, deserves dignity, equal opportunity and a sense of belonging, adding that those principles will continue to guide his leadership of Plateau State.