Tinubu Moves to Sack Wike as FCT Minister!
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has jocularly advised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, not to harness the political whirlwind in Abuja towards the major opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, because of his infrastructural initiatives.
The President said this during his hosting of a delegation from the FCT—his first group of guests for Eid-El-Fitr homage—led by Wike at the Presidential Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja.
Tinubu recounted, “I remember the day when Nyesom Wike came to me and said: ‘Please, take us out of this problem of TSA so that I can do more work and achieve more. “Then I said, ‘Okay, tell me what you’re about to do.’ And he presented it. And I threw in my own political guide. ‘ Would that give me any opportunity for my party to win the election in the FCT?’
“When I said, ‘I know where you’re coming from-your own party or my party.I said,’ If this thing goes too much in your own favour, you will lose your job.’ Then he said, ‘Okay, we’ll settle that, Oga.”
Wike, who was once Rivers State governor on the platform of the PDP, has long been one of the most vocal faces in the party before taking on this current role in the All Progressives Congress-led administration.
The FCT Minister said during a live broadcast on his first anniversary in office last August, that he did not exit the PDP with the invitation by President Tinubu.
He also said he would remain firmly in the PDP and denied defection rumors speculating his movements to the governing party. His remarks surfaced in the heat of a protracted power tussle involving him and his predecessor and estranged political godson, the Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who was suspended on March 18 after Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers.
On Sunday, the president said that in a while since Wike’s appointment, infrastructure reforms started taking shape in the FCT; abandoned projects and healthcare facilities are now being revived.
“”Things started changing rapidly, and I started looking at the opening up of the rural areas, of abandoned projects, and the residence of the vice president that has been abandoned for years came alive.
“The health centres were being rehabilitated. The health facilities of the residents of FCT are being upgraded. Our teachers at school are being rehabilitated, buildings are furnished. Thank you, Wike. “We wouldn’t have been able to open our mouths and to celebrate if not for the progressive ideas that you have given. Today, we are living in peace, and security is improving.
There is satisfaction in our output. Hunger is coming down, and food prices are lowering. We can go to the market and do business.”
Tinubu characterized controlling the Federal Capital Territory at Abuja as privileged, insisting with Wike’s appointment that he made suggestions to cut down on bureaucracy and introduce progressive policies.
The President continued to explain that these measures opened the gates for people who may have been previously constrained by property rights.
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Asked about one such measure that established an independent commission for the civil service, he stated that it will take care of professional growth and promotions with respect to the civil service and Area Council structures while simultaneously managing limited resources.
He reiterated the value of unity and diversity, explaining that people of different backgrounds can cohabit in Nigeria.
“Our people want to see results. They want to see comfort. They want well-being. They want some fair-hearted person. Is it not about me; it is about all of us, and Nyesom Wike is proving the diversity of Nigeria.
“Quite ironically, Nyesom Wike is not from the North. He is not a Hausa. He is from the southern part of Nigeria, and now working centrally in the northern part of Nigeria is paying off; that is a good reflection of our diversity which we must employ for our prosperity.
“Intensify on that diversity for prosperity, being a family, in the same house, but scattered in different rooms. We belong to one family of hope and belief in Nigeria,” said Tinubu.
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