‘Someone Took His Medical Doctor-Son To Protest Ground Without Equipment’, Wike Mocks Amaechi

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has thrown a veiled jibe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over his participation in a recent protest concerning the Electoral Act amendment at the National Assembly in Abuja.

Wike made the remarks on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at the Faculty of Social Sciences Distinguished Personality Lecture Series at the University of Abuja.

Amaechi had joined the protesters on the second day of the protest, where he disclosed that he also brought his son, a medical doctor by training, to the protest ground to provide medical assistance in case of injuries during the demonstration.

But, reacting days later on Tuesday while speaking at the Yakubu Gowon University (formerly University of Abuja), the FCT minister questioned the genuineness of such an arrangement.

“The other day, some people went for a demonstration, and somebody said, ‘I brought my son here, who is a medical doctor in case anyone falls down.’ Meanwhile, the child has no medical equipment with him. Meanwhile, there’s no ambulance there with him in case anybody slumps,” Wike said.

Wike further criticised what he described as selective activism by politicians who only speak up after leaving office.

“And this is the kind of thing, the kind of leadership we want, and we’re happy. People are talking about electronic transmission. Today, why not ask who are those who are responsible that they will get electronic transmission in the last election? When they’re out of office, they become the people’s voice. But when they’re inside the office, they won’t say anything.”

The minister also recalled his legal battles with the Federal Government over the Police Trust Fund and Value Added Tax (VAT), insisting that leadership must be guided by law rather than sentiment.

“As a governor, I challenged the federal government. When they came up with the police trust fund, I went to court. I said ‘no, this is not right’. You cannot take my money. Security is purely under the federal government. You have to invite me to say, ‘look, how do we work together? How do we collaborate to make sure we have good security?’.

“When the issue of VAT came here, I looked at it. Yes, it may not favour you, but the truth is that under our law, whose responsibility should collect VAT? It’s not about emotions. It’s about what the law says,” Wike stated.

He added that true leadership requires unpopular but lawful decisions.

“No good leader is liked easily,” the FCT Minister said.