Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that there is no cabal operating within President Bola Tinubu’s administration, asserting that the president is firmly in control of the affairs of government.
Wike made the assertion while delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Distinguished Personality Lecture, held on Thursday in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The event drew a host of political dignitaries, traditional leaders, and intellectuals.
“Under Tinubu, there is nothing like cabal. This is a president that is in charge,” Wike stated emphatically, distancing the current administration from past governments often criticized for being under the influence of unelected power brokers.
Drawing from political history, Wike referenced the acclaimed work of celebrated Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, “The Trouble with Nigeria”, to frame his assessment of Nigeria’s governance challenges.
“In that work, Achebe said the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. That statement, damaging as it may appear, is extremely difficult to controvert,” Wike said.
“Our leaders have, in the main, emerged through self-serving conspiracies that have little or nothing to do with national interests and development. This has been the case in both military and civilian contexts,” he added.
Despite acknowledging Nigeria’s long history of underperformance, Wike was optimistic about the current administration, praising President Tinubu’s record and commitment to national development.
“Let me make bold at this juncture to state that today, in our country, we have such a leader in the person of Tinubu,” Wike said.
“He has shown in several ways and at different times a stout commitment to the enthronement of democracy in our country, to the extent of even putting his own life on the line in the process.”
Wike credited Tinubu’s leadership in transforming Lagos State during his tenure as governor, describing the development model as “unprecedented, rapid, and exponential.”
“He has shown great capacity for engendering development. Lagos State under his watch—and even beyond—stands as a testimony to what visionary leadership can achieve,” he remarked.
While lauding the president, Wike acknowledged the deep structural issues facing the country.
“Though Nigeria has underperformed in the last six decades, and all imaginable fault lines are cracking, we can still rise and blaze in glory if the right governance frameworks are put in place,” he said.
He stressed the need for a new type of leadership that would foster an environment where individual potential thrives and free enterprise is encouraged.
“The leader of Nigerians’ dream must create a society of free and responsible citizens whose potentials flow freely,” Wike stated.
The lecture was attended by prominent figures including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, who served as the Royal Father of the Day, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, among others.
