Wike In The Eye Of The Storm

You may not like him, but you can’t deny his status and relevance in national and Rivers politics. As a former governor, he has been excoriated over what many of his traducers described as his deliberate attempt to take control of Governor Siminalayi Fubara whom he took from nowhere and made him his successor. Throughout the eight years he ruled Rivers, Barr. Nyesom Wike was fully in charge and demonstrated unfettered commitment to the growth of the oil-rich state.

Gripe Over Appointment

On his appointment as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, rumbling and grumbling from those who thought it was their birthright to head the nation’s capital took the centre stage. The FCT immediately raved into life, having slept for eight years under Mallam Mohammed Bello, the man some referred to as “Keep In View (KIV) Minister”. Wike’s appointment was clearly an awakening akin to the years of Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai who was in charge of the FCT from 2003 to 2007.

Different from the wickedness of el-Rufai’s years in the FCT that dealt with only the poor and robbed them of their slums, Wike is following the process of advancing development and treading on a path that many thought was impossible to tread.  Since the dawn of this unbroken democracy in May 1999, the power cabal from the North had always taken charge of the FCT.  Against expectations and pressure from these power brokers, the appointment of Wike as minister shocked many and showed that President Tinubu was prepared to be his own man.

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Various video clips where certain clerics denounced Wike’s appointments trended on social media platforms, with a threat that Tinubu should be prepared to meet them in 2027. Wike maintained a dignified silence and went about bringing life to a city that was ruled by someone who never knew what he was sent to do. Within the first year of the Tinubu administration, Wike, who was known and called Mr. Projects in Rivers State, completed some bridges and link roads, thereby eradicating gridlock and making driving pleasurable in the city centre.

Fighting Criminals

After embarking on resurfacing some of the roads in the city centre, Wike, with the assistance of former FCT Police Commissioner Bennett Igwe, now an assistant inspector-general, masterfully unleashed a plot that led to the arrest of criminals who once saw Abuja as a safe haven for their nefarious activities. Under the watch of the minister, kidnappers and abductors were brought to their knees, just as street urchins that once constituted a menace were dealt with decisively. After sending the criminals out of business, the clouds of uncertainty that once hovered over the nation’s capital have disappeared.

Not done yet in cleansing a city that is known for lawlessness, he stretched his sweeping rake to the demolition of illegal structures and other land matters; two of the most dreaded issues mostly that were avoided by his predecessors since 2007. With a determination yet unseen, Wike has reminded residents that the city can be sanitised, using due process. Unlike the era of the el-Rufai, the former Rivers’ helmsman is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that those who violate the laws are brought to book.

Realising that stamping out malpractices from the FCT system cannot be achieved without reviewing the bureaucratic system, the FCTA now has its Head of Service and is exempted from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), thus empowering the minister to operate above the stumbling blocks associated with TSA. Wike is not only someone who talks; he matches his words with actions, no matter whose ox is gored.

Fighting Land Cabal

Land to FCT is what oil is to oil-rich states. In a city where there are growing demands for revenue for development projects, Wike has focused attention on those who have refused to pay the relevant fees for land titles. He has also looked into issues where a powerful land cabal is having a field day and colluding with unscrupulous elements in denying the FCTA the much needed revenue.  Before his emergence as minister, hundreds of court cases had been before various judges. Having checked into the books and found out that nearly a thousand plot owners were behind in payments for land titles, with a stroke of the pen, the minister ordered for the payment or risk revocation.

Having published names of the debtors in the first week of this month and given a two-week deadline to them to pay, last Thursday, Wike revoked plots of land allocated to Foundation Trust belonging to former President Muhammadu Buhari. Also revoked were lands belonging to the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, among hundreds of land titles.

The minister’s revocation has swirled into a land grabbing allegation that has seen a construction company, Paullosa Nigeria Limited, raising an alarm over a demolition notice issued by the FCTA its estate in Life Camp in Abuja. Dismissing the falsehood unleashed on social media by self-acclaimed social media influencer, the minister’s aide, Lanre Olayinka, explained that Paullosa Nigeria Ltd had occupied the land located at Plot No 2241, Gwarimpa District, Cadastral Zone C02, Abuja, with a temporary R-of-O granted 40 years ago in 1984.

Having stepped on many toes in his bid to create a befitting nation’s capital, Wike’s actions are bound to cause rippling effects. His traducers may have reasons to fight his politics, but his performance profile in FCT reveals him as “most sinned against than sinning”.