The Annual Lecture and Gold Prize Award, held in Abuja to commemorate Nigeria’s 25 years of uninterrupted democracy, saw a clash of opinions between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and activists Shehu Sani and Mike Ozekhome.
Chief Ozekhome, as the guest lecturer, failed to acknowledge any progress made by the country in the last quarter-century, which irked Wike.
The FCT Minister questioned the decency of both Sani and Ozekhome for their negative remarks and called into question their achievements.
Wike challenged Sani on his effectiveness during his time as a senator, demanding to know what he had accomplished.
He also confronted Ozekhome, accusing him of never turning down briefs, even those involving defending election riggers.
The Minister emphasized that being activists did not guarantee success and cited instances where activists had failed even after being appointed to positions of power. He urged them to move beyond mere criticism and focus on tangible progress.
Wike expressed disappointment that the lecture entirely focused on criticism without acknowledging any progress made in the past 25 years. He highlighted the importance of recognizing the positive aspects of democracy, such as the absence of arbitrary detentions.
He also noted that the development of infrastructure in the FCT was a result of collaborative efforts between the FCT Minister and the President.
