By Philip Yatai
Prof. Aminu Gusau, former Coordinating Director, Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), has commended Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for his bold governance, infrastructural renewal and decisive leadership.
Gusau gave the commendation in Abuja on Tuesday, at the 2026 Annual Distinguished Personality Lecture Series, organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja.
Wike, the distinguished personality, presented the lecture entitled, “The Impact of Political Leadership on Infrastructural Development in Nigeria: Between Dividends of Democracy and Good Governance”.
Gusau, a visiting professor at the University of Kansas, United States, who served as chairman of the occasion described Wike as a “public servant” whose tenure in the FCT had been marked by visible transformation and accelerated project delivery.
He said that since assuming office in August 2023, Wike had embarked on an ambitious drive to restore the Abuja Master Plan, strengthen infrastructure, and revive long-abandoned projects.
He added that major road networks have been completed and rehabilitated across the territory, including key arterial roads connecting the city centre to satellite towns.
”The completion and commissioning of projects such as the Apo-Wasa Road, the rehabilitation of inner-city corridors, and the revitalisation of strategic junctions have significantly improved mobility and economic activity within the FCT.
”Attention has also been extended to satellite towns including Gwagwalada, Kubwa, Bwari, and Karu, where road construction, drainage improvements, and public infrastructure upgrades are ongoing.
”Several previously stalled contracts have been revived and brought to completion, reinforcing a governance approach that prioritises continuity and accountability,” he said.
The don added that beyond transportation infrastructure, the Wike-led FCT administration had strengthened development control enforcement and land administration reforms.
This, he said, was aimed at improving transparency, restoring urban order, and enhancing internally generated revenue.
He also said that investments in street lighting, environmental sanitation, and public space management have contributed to improved security and urban aesthetics.
According to him, leadership is rarely comfortable. It requires firmness, resolve, and sometimes unpopular decisions.
”Wike’s public service record from his tenure as governor of Rivers to his current role as FCT minister, reflects a consistent pattern: decisive execution, infrastructure expansion, and institutional assertiveness.
”Having spent over 27 years in the United States and served as a university lecturer for more than a decade, I have had the privilege of observing leadership models across different systems.
”Over the years, I have come to understand that truly effective leaders share one common trait; they possess good intentions for the people and translate that intention into concrete action.
”Indeed, Wike belongs to that category of leaders. You may like his personality; you may not like his personality, but one thing is certain, he works and he works for the people.”
Gusau added that in governance, results, infrastructure, and systems mattered.
According to him, leadership becomes tangible when citizens can see completed roads, revived projects, improved lighting, strengthened regulation, and enhanced order in public administration.
”Universities are centres of ideas and critical engagement. It is therefore fitting that this recognition occurs within the University of Abuja.
”Leadership in public service must be examined objectively. It must be assessed by outcomes that improve daily life. In that regard, Wike’s tenure provides substantial evidence of performance-driven governance.” (NAN)
Edited by Deborah Coker
