Amid reports that he had been barred from informing citizens of his administration’s progress, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, clarified that President Bola Tinubu has never interfered with his monthly media briefings.
Wike said claims suggesting that he had been restricted from holding these briefings to update citizens on government policies, projects, and other matters were false.
The former Rivers State governor emphasized that his role as FCT Minister is to communicate the progress, policies, and projects of the territory, not to act as a spokesperson for the federal government.
He also addressed rumors that he had been flown out of the country due to severe illness, dismissing such reports as “junk” that do not deserve his attention.
“You talked about falling sick, we are all human beings; anybody can fall sick. But it’s unfortunate, I never fell sick. These are things I don’t need to pay attention to. Someone even said the president has banned me from the chat. How can the president ban me from letting the people know what the administration is doing, particularly as it pertains to the FCT?” Wike said.
“I am not speaking for the government. I’m only letting the world know what is happening under the Tinubu administration and what is happening in this territory, what we are doing and what we are about to do.”
Wike made the clarification on Friday during his monthly media chat in Abuja, where he discussed various matters related to the FCT Administration and the ongoing development of the nation’s capital.
He also addressed the recent disputes surrounding River Park Estate in the Lugbe area, noting that the FCT Administration’s involvement was aimed at safeguarding residents and formalizing land ownership within the territory.
The minister emphasized that, contrary to circulating claims, the FCT Administration does not have a direct business relationship with River Park Estate.
Its actions were focused solely on ensuring that residents who legitimately acquired property there are not unfairly affected by the expiration of previous agreements.
“What is happening at River Park is the FCT doing everything possible to protect the residents,” Wike said.
“Even though we have no business with River Park, we are doing everything we can to protect them.”
He added that the original agreement between River Park and a third party acting on behalf of the FCT Administration had expired, prompting the government to intervene and regularize the situation.
