By Joy Onu
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has pledged to complete the abandoned Gwagwalada Mini-Stadium in order to provide sporting facilities for youths and ordered the immediate relocation of the area’s abattoir over environmental and public health concerns.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Deputy Director, Press, Office of the FCT Minister, Rabi Musa Umar, Wike gave the assurances during an interactive town hall meeting with Rainbow Coalition stakeholders at the newly constructed Gwagwalada Civic Centre, where he also urged residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The Minister directed the FCTA Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat to liaise with Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Kassim Mohammed, to ensure the prompt relocation of the abattoir following concerns raised by community stakeholders.
Addressing the Mandate Secretary for Agriculture, Ango Abdullahi, Wike warned that failure to carry out the directive could cost him his job.
“Liaise with the Chairman and the abattoir should be moved immediately. If you don’t do it, your job is at stake,” he said.
On the mini-stadium, Wike said the facility would give young people an opportunity to develop their sporting talents, noting that their request for a place to play football and engage in other sporting activities was modest.
“The youths have said here that they are not asking much. Where they can play sports morning, evening, weekend, and football. You never can tell, one day we will have somebody like Lionel Messi, we are talking about Mbappé. We may have him here. Give them the opportunity,” he said.
He assured the community that the administration would return to complete the abandoned project, adding that the youths were not asking for too much.
The minister, who also commissioned the Gwagwalada Civic Centre, commended Mohammed for completing the facility, naming it after him and mobilising residents for the event.
He recalled that the road leading to Zuba, requested during his initial visit to the area, was scheduled for completion in December 2026. He also cited other road projects executed across Gwagwalada.
Wike said governance should focus on improving citizens’ lives through tangible development. He urged residents to vote for Tinubu, Senator Philip Aduda, House of Representatives candidate Danladi Chiya and other APC Rainbow Coalition candidates on January 16, 2027.
Describing the election as an opportunity for residents to demonstrate their collective strength, he urged them to set aside trading and fishing activities and mobilise voters across polling units, districts and communities.
The Minister also criticised the FCT’s political representation before the proposed coalition, saying residents should not repeat what he described as their mistake in the 2023 elections.
“You made a mistake in 2023 by electing somebody who has never sat with you one day to discuss. Therefore today, we have decided to tell Senator Ireti Kingibe bye-bye,” he said.
He said residents needed accessible representatives who understood their concerns, contrasting Kingibe’s representation with Aduda, whom he said identified with youths, students and traditional rulers.
On the Rainbow Coalition, Wike commended the APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmen in the FCT for bringing political stakeholders together and fostering a peaceful electioneering atmosphere.
He criticised politicians opposed to the arrangement, describing them as selfish and incapable of uniting their families and communities.
“Some greedy and selfish politicians do not understand what we call unity. They have no capacity to hold their space, they have no capacity to even hold their families and they have no capacity to hold their communities. So, they can open their mouths and say no Rainbow Coalition. All of us in the Rainbow Coalition have agreed to work together,” he said.
Responding to students’ requests for direct engagement, Wike said his Chief of Staff would announce a date for a separate town hall meeting with them after his scheduled meeting with FCT youths on November 10.
Earlier, Mohammed reaffirmed his support for the APC and the Rainbow Coalition, pledging to mobilise residents for Tinubu’s re-election and the party’s National Assembly candidates. He said the FCT Administration’s infrastructure projects across Gwagwalada would be central to the campaign for continuity.
Speaking for women in the council, Hajara Abdullahi thanked Wike for development projects in rural communities and pledged their support for Tinubu and other coalition candidates.
Similarly, youth representative Comrade Inuwa Gusau commended the minister for supporting Mohammed, saying the assistance had enabled the chairman to deliver projects since assuming office. He also pledged the youths’ support for Tinubu and APC National Assembly candidates.
The FCT APC Chairman, Tanko Yamawo, and his PDP counterpart, Mohammed Dogara, praised Wike for fostering political cooperation, saying elections in Gwagwalada and other parts of the FCT had previously been characterised by violence and disorder.
The Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji, said the territory had witnessed increased government presence and infrastructure development. He urged candidates to sustain the minister’s efforts by embracing residents irrespective of political affiliation during and after the elections.
