Why I work with Tinubu — Wike

Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has disclosed why he chose to cooperate with President Bola Tinubu despite being a member of the opposition party.

Wike, a former two-term governor of Rivers State on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform, made the revelation at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.

Wike said President Tinubu has the capacity and political will to take decisions and do things others are afraid of.

According to Wike, “One of the reasons I accepted to work with Mr. President is because he has the capacity and political will to do those things that people are afraid of doing.

“The problem of this country is partly leadership because so many people don’t want to take actions as they believe that some people will be angry.

“There is no action you take that everybody will be happy. But what is important is that you are guided by law and your conscience.”

He then went on to explain the reformations Tinubu has brought to the FCT’s civil service.

FCT Civil Service Commission

Wike said: “The Central bank (CBN) cannot give us loans, and even the IGR is spent as it comes and you cannot tangibly do anything with it.

“I said to Mr. President if you want FCT to really carry out its developmental projects and infrastructure, then it must come out of TSA (Treasury Single Account).

“We (FCT Administration) are not a revenue-generating agency of the Federal Government. Then what financial leakages are you plugging? The revenue comes in and it will go to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and we need money to do projects.

“I cannot go to the Central Bank to ask them to give us money, and I can’t go to the commercial banks. They will ask how do you pay back?

“So, I said we must pull out, that is the only way we can survive it.

“Mr. President graciously agreed with us and approved that we should pull out of the Single Treasury Account. TSA.

“You will see that from next year it will be projects upon projects in FCT. And with what you saw in Port Harcourt, Abuja would be something else. So for us, it is one of the happiest days, and we have to thank Mr. President for the foresight.”

He said for several years, a lot of issues in the FCT were stalled due to lack of political will to see then through.

Political will

The Minister of FCT said: “There is this fear that ‘if I do this, people will kick against it’.

“But it is not personal. It is about the growth of the city, welfare of the civil servants and the interest of the women – our mothers, sisters and wives.

“For many years this fight has been on. But in just few months, Mr. President has done it. That is the essence of the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

“Civil Servants in the FCTA were stagnated because they could only become directors and not rise to permanent secretaries.

“Before now, then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had, as Acting President, signed a law to create the FCT Civil Service Commission. But the law has never been implemented.

“So, I went to Mr President and explained why we had to implement it in his administration. And he has graciously approved the creation of the Commission.

“Mr President has also approved the creation of a secretariat for women.

“You can imagine having an administration as large as this and there is no secretariat for women.

“So, the President has approved the creation of a Mandate Secretariat for Women Affairs. It is just like we have the Ministry of Women Affairs in the states,” Wike stressed on his work with Tinubu.