Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has vehemently criticized the infrastructural development initiatives spearheaded by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In a no-holds-barred interview on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Friday, January 10, 2025, Dalung dismissed the portrayal of Wike’s road projects as genuine development, describing them as superficial and far from addressing the core challenges of Abuja.
Dalung also took a jab at Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s recent remark that Abuja now resembles London, calling the statement exaggerated and disconnected from reality. “If the Senate President is feeling like he’s in London, it could be the London of his own immediate environment,” Dalung quipped, highlighting stark inequalities in the city.
The ex-minister further lamented the state of basic infrastructure in the nation’s capital, arguing that true development goes beyond paving roads. “Abuja lacks proper schools, adequate health facilities, and essential amenities. It is disingenuous to celebrate road constructions in a city where children have no access to quality education and residents struggle with poor healthcare,” Dalung asserted.
Dalung’s remarks also underscored his earlier stance on the alleged influence of “dangerous cabals” within President Bola Tinubu’s government, which he claims are perpetuating policies and narratives that fail to address the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
The former minister’s critique raises questions about the priorities of the FCT administration under Wike, who has championed road projects as a cornerstone of his infrastructural agenda. While Wike’s supporters hail his efforts as transformative, critics like Dalung argue they are cosmetic and fail to address Abuja’s deeper systemic issues.
As the debate over Abuja’s development intensifies, Dalung’s remarks have sparked discussions about what constitutes genuine progress and whether the Tinubu administration’s vision aligns with the needs of the people. The controversy also casts a spotlight on the broader challenges of governance in a nation where the gap between political rhetoric and lived reality continues to widen.
PIONEER NEWS 