Wike Defends Tinubu’s Economic Reforms, Says Administration Inherited a Badly Damaged Economy.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has strongly defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, insisting that the current administration inherited a severely damaged economy that cannot be fixed overnight.

Speaking during his monthly media chat with selected television stations in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said the government’s policies, though painful in the short term, were necessary to reverse years of economic decline and lay a foundation for sustainable growth.

He particularly praised the removal of the petrol subsidy, describing it as one of the boldest decisions taken by any Nigerian leader in recent decades. According to him, successive governments knew the subsidy was unsustainable but lacked the political will to end it.

Wike recalled his time as Rivers State governor, noting that many states struggled to pay salaries because of the huge cost of the subsidy. “Fuel subsidy was a cancer. States were borrowing to survive. I was a governor and sometimes had to plead with bank managers just to secure funds to pay salaries. Today, sub-national governments have more resources for infrastructure, salaries and pensions because that burden has been removed,” he said.

The minister urged Nigerians to be patient, stressing that problems accumulated over more than 15 years cannot disappear in one or two years. “The economy was badly damaged before this administration came into office. Recovery takes time,” he stated.

Wike maintained that President Tinubu has shown the courage previous leaders lacked and deserves time to complete the reforms.