The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said President Bola Tinubu ended decades of neglect of youths and women in the territory by establishing dedicated secretariats to address their concerns.

Mr Wike made the remarks on Wednesday during an interactive session, saying successive administrations had failed to create dedicated administrative structures for youths and women since the FCT was established in 1976.

He described the creation of the Youth Secretariat and Women Affairs Secretariat under Mr Tinubu as a significant intervention.

“The FCT was created in 1976. What was the position of the youths and women then? Was there any establishment of a youth secretariat? Was there any establishment of a Women Secretariat? What forum was given to the youths and women to be included in the administration?” he queried.

Mr Wike maintained that the establishment of the two secretariats was not merely a political gesture but an institutional effort to address concerns that had remained unattended for decades.

“If these youth and women secretariats had been created then, probably most of the things you are talking about today would not have been raised again.

“Somebody has now come to lay a foundation to take care of those things that were not previously cared for,” he said.

He urged young people to distinguish between leaders who make promises and those willing to take difficult decisions, warning against allowing social media narratives to influence their political choices.

“This is not social media. This is not about telling lies or being a content developer. We are being practical. It is time for us to stop giving fish lies and begin to be realistic,” he said.

The minister also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy, describing the decision as courageous and necessary to free up resources for development.

He argued that the subsidy regime had drained government revenue that could have been invested in education, infrastructure and other critical sectors.

According to him, the removal of the subsidy has increased allocations to state and local governments, giving them more resources to meet their obligations and implement development programmes.

Mr Wike also cited the relative stability of the university system as evidence of progress under the current administration, noting that recurring nationwide strikes had disrupted academic activities under previous governments.

“For the past three years, have we had any strike in our universities? No. Why is that not something we should recognise? Money has remained available to the sub-nationals. States and local governments now have more money,” he said.

He added that economic reforms required patience and consistency, arguing that difficult decisions could attract initial criticism but produce long-term benefits.

Meanwhile, youths in the FCT used the interactive session to present demands and proposals on education, scholarships, employment, skills acquisition, transportation and the protection of indigenous communities.

The president of the FCT Youth Network, Isaac David, said youth organisations had developed an FCT Youth Development Policy in collaboration with international organisations, traditional rulers and other stakeholders.

He urged Mr Wike to support the establishment of an FCT Education Trust Fund to mobilise additional resources for the education sector through contributions from corporate organisations and development partners.

Mr David also called on youths to support Mr Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, urging them to demonstrate their political commitment through their permanent voter cards.

(NAN)