By Sarah NEGEDU
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday hit back at the African Democratic Congress, ADC, over its criticism of government’s road projects, insisting that roads remain central to movement, security and economic activity.
Both men spoke at the commissioning of the interchange at Arterial Road N16-Ring Road II intersection linking Jahi District to Gwarimpa District in Abuja, where Wike reacted to a statement by the ADC questioning what they described as concentration on road construction over other infrastructure.
Akpabio, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the event, argued that critics who failed to build such infrastructure when they held power, had no basis to complain.
Wike, said the party’s “you can’t eat roads” jab amounted to an admission that the administration had delivered on road construction.
“Your Excellency, while seated there, I got a text message that the news or the press release by ADC. ADC said to the presidency that we are not going to eat through the road. Beautiful. ADC has conceded, has agreed that in terms of road infrastructure, Mr. President, you have done very, very well. Let us start with that first. Let us start with the one that they have conceded that, yes, indeed, Mr. President, you have done very, very well.
“And let them also know, without road, you cannot go to hospital. Without road, you cannot go to school. Without road, you cannot go to farm. Road is the bedrock. Road is the engine of development in any part of this world.”
Akpabio, in his remarks before reading Tinubu’s official speech at the ceremony, supported Wike’s argument, saying the administration was focusing on roads because previous leaders had left basic infrastructure undone.
“If the Chairman of ADC, my senior colleague, former Senate President, had said that we are not going to eat any road, tell him that if he had done the roads, we would have gone into other areas. But because he never did the roads, we have to start from somewhere,” he said.
Akpabio maintained that the Tinubu administration’s road push could not be dismissed with a slogan, arguing that no serious government could ignore roads and security.
“No meaningful development can take place in a nation without good roads and without security. So, keep up the good work you are doing. If we are concentrating on security, ADC will tell you, is it security alone that will eat? If we are concentrating alone on provision of water, ADC will say, is it water alone that will drink? Today, you are doing so much on road. You are doing so much on water. And they are now saying, is it only road that we are going to eat? They must say something, because they fail to do so,” he said.
Wike then took a direct aim at former Senate President David Mark, whom he identified as chairman of one of the ADC factions, accusing him of failing to fix major roads in his home state despite spending eight years as Senate President under the PDP.
“But let us also say, and let me say to the national chairman, in quotes, I don’t know who are the factions, but I know David Mark is the chairman of one of the factions. He was former Senate President, two times Senate President, that is about eight good years. Uninterrupted. The road from Akwanga to Makurdi was awarded when he was Senate President. Senate President in the ruling government then of his own party. The poor people could not afford to go to homes in Makurdi. Why? There was no road. But the Senate President then, who was David Mark, and who is now the chairman of the faction of the ADC, was flying with a helicopter. How many poor people have helicopters? But today, by this administration, we can now drive freely to Makurdi.
“So, the chairman of the faction of the ADC can now see, he is no longer using helicopters to go to Otupko. He is now driving by road, done by this administration. For only three years. But eight years as Senate President, nobody could afford to go to Otukpo. From Makurdi to Otukpo, no road as a Senate President. What can you do? I thank God you have conceded that Mr. President has done well in terms of road for three years. But what happens in just one year? But in another four years, people should understand that when you have nothing to offer, tell people I have nothing to offer. Even when your enemy has done very well, cover your eyes, say no matter what, this is my enemy, he has done very, very well.”
Wike also rejected claims that the administration was focused only on roads, pointing to water projects in satellite towns as part of the government’s wider infrastructure push.
“But let me say that it is not correct that we are only doing roads. It is not correct. The other day, you saw us when we went to Karu, providing water. Under him as a Senate President, there was no provision to give the satellite towns in Abuja water. But under our own leadership, he did not only make provision for funding of supply of water in the satellite areas, he made sure the money was released. That is the difference,” he said.
