The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Tuesday charged officials of the nation’s capital, Abuja, to sit up or seek redeployment elsewhere.
Wike promised to increase the blood pressure of the director in charge of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) if he fails to clean up the city.
The former Governor of Rivers State, while speaking on transportation, told top officials of the secretariat in pidgin that ‘wahala don come’.
Wike stated this in Abuja while receiving handing over notes from the Permanent Secretary in the FCTA, Olusade Adesola.
He said, “I will ensure that Abuja gets the best. You will see projects upon projects, and projects that will be completed and not abandoned.
“I am not a party to abandoned projects. I start a project…..when there is money, as such we will look into our finances before we begin any project.
“I believe in the renewed hope of President Bola Tinubu, and Nigerians will see the difference in no distant time.”
He said in the meantime there had to be immediate deliverables to assure the people that the government was determined to turn the fortunes of the territory around.
Wike added, “We are here to deliver the short-term deliverables for people to see that Abuja is coming back to what it was supposed to be. People are complaining of street lights not working, I am complaining too. We must fix it within the shortest possible time.”
Speaking on sanitation in Abuja, Wike said he would be mounting immense pressure on the director in charge to the point that he might even develop high blood pressure.
He added, “You must be ready to work hard. I must make sure I give you BP, so you must work hard. You can’t be sleeping when the environment is dirty. You can’t be a director for anything.
“It is an opportunity for us to tell Nigerians and Mr President that we cannot disappoint. If you are in charge of sanitation, buy your drugs, carry them all the time because I will disturb you all the time to make sure Abuja is clean.”
Wike in his statement on transportation said, “Wahala don come, there are too many……illegal bus stops in the city. I have respect for women, but this one I will not. If you don’t have the capacity, let us replace you now.
“In this job, people will not like you, but in the end, if you do it well, you will be appreciated. Things are tough, yes, but we cannot live in a lawless society because things are tough.”
The Minister of State in the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, in her statement, said with the support of staff, what Wike had done in Rivers would be replicated in the FCT.
She said, “I am of the firm belief that, together, and with your support, we will replicate what the Minister (Wike) has done in Rivers in the nation’s capital, especially at the area councils and satellite towns.
“This is so that the lives of our people in the rural areas will be positively touched. It is also instructive to…..state that maximum commitment, cooperation, and loyalty are expected from all staff because it will not be business as usual.
“We will run with the vision of President Tinubu, which we will be unveiling as we hit the ground running.”
However, Nyesom Wike resumed office on Monday and came across as tough.
He delivered a harsh warning to unlawful developers, pledging to demolish any such constructions, in a very audible declaration.
When Wike was governor of Rivers State, he was known for his commitment to infrastructure development, which many people thought helped him land the position of FCT Minister.
The way he spoke, which was viewed as more draconian, was not well received, though.
In light of the state of insecurity in the FCT and other regions of the country, several commentators have already urged him to proceed with prudence in order to prevent causing more issues for the existing administration.
There are hopes that instead of concentrating on making thousands of Nigerians homeless, Wike should focus on other priorities.
Infrastructure
Wike demonstrated a strong track record as governor of Rivers in the area of infrastructure, earning him the moniker “Mr. Project” from the outgoing vice president, Yemi Osinbajo. It’s commonly accepted that he will accomplish what the FCT Minister did.
Nasir El-Rufai, the outgoing governor of Kaduna State, has been hailed as the finest Minister since the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was established in Abuja. El-Rufai is the source of the majority of the city’s infrastructure. Wike is seen to be able to surpass El-Rufai’s accomplishments.
Shehu Sani, a former senator for Kaduna Central, tweeted: “The capacity and competence of the new FCT minister to deliver is without doubt.”
In addition to new physical infrastructure, the FCT wants improved sanitation.
There are slums, parks, illicit marketplaces, and garbage dumps all across Abuja in some areas.
According to Wike: “We are not going to tolerate the issue where everywhere is turned to a market, the time is up. That was before now. Abuja has turned into a city, with refuse everywhere.”
Enhancing FCT communities and constructing new roads
Indigenous people in the FCT are pleading with Wike to expand local road networks. They observed that this would improve the appearance of villages within the FCT.
Comrade Christopher Ikpebi, a native of FCT, revealed that “The communities within the FCT are looking unkempt due to the poor road network, so Wike should enforce urban renewal.
“For example, the road network into Kobi is very bad and the government needs to look into it and those of other communities within FCT.”
Ikpebi continued by stating that Wike should continue to take the empowerment of unemployed FCT graduates and skilled workers into consideration.
He said: “Wike should consider the indigenous people in the area of jobs.
“As the host state of the federation, Wike should work with the president to consider the youths for employment because there are many graduates at home without work.
“In the area of employment, States usually get slots allocated to them, so Wike should consider the indigenous graduates.”
Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer working in Abuja, voiced his opinion and said that he believes Wike will continue the success he had in Port Harcourt as the FCT Minister.
According to Adeyanju: “Wike is a workaholic so he will definitely develop the FCT; being a tireless workaholic, his ideas about infrastructure will help the FCT.
“The FCT has never had it this bad in the last eight years, the immediate past minister is the worst we have ever had in FCT.
“Wike’s negative side is going to be……impunity and disrespect for court orders.
“This is because Wike believes in showmanship, he might overdo some of these things which may lead to bad blood.
“My advice for him is that he must be very mature and not be somebody known for going against political opponents, so he must be mindful that the right to property is the inalienable rights of the citizens.
“Whatever he is doing, Wike should follow laid down rules and proceedings.
“In his inaugural speech, you can see he was talking about refuse dumps, so he likes to sanitise the federal capital city which has the convergence of diplomatic Corps; it has to be extremely clean.
“With what Wike did in Port-Harcourt, I think he will surpass El-Rufai in the area of infrastructure if given the chance. El-Rufai was lawless at some point, so whatever Wike wants to do should be within the armbit of the law.”
There are worries that Wike might perform his duties with vengeance in the meantime.
He defected from the PDP and began working for President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the most recent presidential election.
There have been rumors that he may destroy buildings owned by PDP and other opposition party members because the animosity from that election hasn’t subsided.
In response to the implication, Wike stated in his inaugural speech: “Is there anybody I want to fight that I’ll not tell you I want to fight? You hear that I went to PDP to check if they don’t have a C of O. If they don’t have C of O, then they don’t have it. I mean what kind of….politics is that? If you don’t have it you don’t have it.
“So if we’re doing something to find out those who don’t have C of O or those who have it or have not complied and maybe PDP is one of them therefore, we’ll not do our work?”
