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…pooh-poohed insinuations on his state of health

…gives vivid highlights on ongoing transformative projects across FCT

By Emmanuel Agaji

The Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister Nyesom Wike on Friday in his monthly press briefing bared it all on his roles as minister declaring he only discusses issues bordering on his jurisdiction, he also spoke on his 20 days massive projects flag-off/commissioning across the capital city and other sundry issues, excerpts.

There has been so much speculation in the media, so many insinuations that why is this man always having media chat, is he the spokesperson of the government and all of that? And in some cases too some personal attacks, he is sick, he has been flown abroad and all of that. Don’t these things get to you?

I don’t read this if not that you are telling me now. I don’t read those junks. I am very focus, I am not speaking for government, I am letting the world know what we are doing under the Tinubu’s administration.

As the Minister of the FCT, I owe a duty to let the public know what is happening within the Territory, what we are about to do and what we are going to do in the future, which is my responsibility.

I am not a spokesperson for the government, I am not talking about the Federal Government, I am talking about the activities of the FCT. If I don’t do, who is responsible?

Again you talked about me being flown overseas, we are all human beings, anybody can fall sick any day any time but it is unfortunate too I never fell sick to be flown abroad. So these are things you don’t need to pay attention to.
And then somebody said the President has banned me from having a media chat. It is the same junk you carry. Who is responsible for this? It is the same man who has been collecting money from people and then Nigerians are listening to him, oh Sahara Reporters carry this and that.
How will the President ban me from letting people know, letting the public know what the administration is doing, particularly as it pertains to the FCT.

So it is not everything you read or whatever you hear that you begin to take it serious.

But does it mean that you enjoy some special place in the heart of Mr President such that you are about the only Minister that is showcasing the achievements of this administration?

I don’t want to say that, everybody has his own style.

Do you have the permission of the Mr President to be doing what you are doing?
Do you need to go and apply to Mr President that I want to tell the public what we are doing? In most cases, the President is even watching and knowing what you are doing, then he even begins to rate you and say look, I didn’t know you are doing this, I thought you are doing this one, I think we should do it this way.

So it is not whether you are the President man or not, no! It is your responsibility, you owe the public to tell them look this is what we are doing. If you don’t do that, it is the same you that will complain, that is what is happening, nobody knows what is going on.

Now we are doing that and people are saying oh, why is he telling everybody of what he is doing. It is our responsibility and it is our job and we will continue to do that.
We would have done it since because of the activities, 20 days fully occupied and we said by the time we finished the 20 days then we take our monthly media chat. We must brief the public every month of what we are doing.

You just mentioned 20 days of project commissioning and flagging off of projects; in terms of what you have done in the past two years, we have seen that it is not just about flagging off projects, it is about timelines and commissioning them later. Are we going to be looking at some of these things come up in the next year again?

We are not getting to next year, we are not going to get to next year. Yes obviously I have said here, in the third year anniversary of Mr President, there will be lineup of activities that we have to carry out.
But before next year, there are projects we have lined up, that we think should be completed and then we have to, that shows that things are happening under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pertaining to FCT where the responsibility have been given to I and the Minister of State.
I am sure you are dumbfounded, how could 20 days from one project to the other, commissioning, flagging off, it has never happened and we would have continued but we said look, let’s take a break and then we will come back and that would be focused purely on what we have done or what we are doing in education sector.

Honourable Minister, you have seen an influx of beggars into the FCT. Indiscriminate motor parks are coming up, and people are asking also when are the new bus stations in Kugbo and Mabushi going to come in place? And then the issues of open grazing too within the FCT. How soon will you be dedicating attention to all of these issues?

I will talk about the influx of beggars, and I will not talk about the controversial open grazing. You have asked that before and I said that is an issue of national security.

Now let’s talk about the influx of beggars. I have told you that Abuja is at the centre of states? Everybody wants to move down to Abuja. And you don’t have that right to say, look, somebody should not move from Kaduna to Abuja, somebody should not move from Niger to Abuja, somebody should not move from Lokoja to Abuja, somebody should not move from Nasarawa to Abuja. It’s a big problem for us. But we are doing all the best we can to say, look, we have to send them out.

I believe, by the grace of God, before the end of the year that we will fully start the operation of those bus terminals. But that does not mean that will stop it. No. But it will reduce until we build more bus terminals and taxis.

Let me take you up very quickly as a follow-up on the question you asked with national security, with the cattle grazing. I know that at the last media chat, you did say that it was a question of national security, and that if the National Security Adviser were to get involved, then perhaps we might be able to get a solution to it. Have there been any discussions in that regard?

Yes, discussions are going on. In fact, the Minister of Livestock we have tried to provide where some of these cows will be taken to and what we call ranching. And they’re also involved in talking to Miyetti Allah and those other stakeholders.

And that is why I said, it’s not something you can just come up to say, look, it has a lot of implications. And that is why I said, it’s a national security issue.
I believe in the near future, that will be sorted out. But the Ministry of Livestock is collaborating with us and other security agencies to see that this thing is put to rest.

What sorts of solutions are you thinking of?
The only thing you can do is the ranching. That is the only solution.

On the issue of waste management. You have said that it is a very tricky issue as well because a number of small operators who are not very competent have been the ones handling it. What exactly is now happening in terms of getting more competent hands?

After this media chat, we have our FCT Executive Council and the contracts will be awarded this afternoon.

The contract for waste management?

Yes, it will be awarded.

Is it all over the city?
Yes, this afternoon that will be sorted out. We’ll have our FCT Executive Committee meeting by 12 noon today. So the process of contract has been done and it will be awarded today.

Let’s talk about Gwarimpa and Lugbe. They appear not to be getting attention from you as in the level of development.

Why do you say they’re not getting attention? Are you living in Lugbe or you are living in Gwarimpa? Why do you say they’re not getting attention? What attention do you want us to give them?

The states of roads are in disrepair. Some of us live there.

Everything cannot be done at the same time. If you go to Gwarimpa now, there’s a road being done by CDC. So it’s not correct when you say that… Of course, there’s a road going on being done by Julius Berger.
Yes as you are coming now, what we call Northern Park Way, before you get to the junction of Life Camp, you also know that there’s a road at the back here which Julius Berger has completed the first phase and completing the second phase by this December. So you cannot say that there’s nothing going on in Life Camp.

There’s also a road being done by Lubris coming from the Deidei down to Life Camp. So it’s going on there now.

I speak for your neighbours who said they have not felt your impact.

Where.

If you come out here and go down this road, your immediate neighbour here is Julius Berger. Right after your premises there, down…

It is not correct. You cannot say that you must finish the whole road in Life Camp. I just gave you an example. Just there, I don’t know the community you may call it, which was commissioned by Mr President through the Secretary to Governmental of the Federation, which is the first one, completed.
And then they are now doing a bridge linking the Jera community, which will be finished in December this year. And then I also told you that this one that we just flagged off by Julius Berger what we call the Northern Park way, is also in Life Camp. So I don’t know what you mean by that.

To be continued shortly