The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has berated activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over his description of President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
Speaking on Thursday during the flag-off of the Arterial Road N1 construction in Wuye, Abuja, Wike said Sowore should count himself fortunate to have a president who respects the rule of law.
Wike said, “This is a country where somebody on social media will say Mr President is a criminal; nothing will happen. You say all kinds of things you want to say, but nothing will happen.
“No matter how you see people criticise Trump, have you ever seen any American citizen on social media, or in the public, say our President is a criminal? Have you heard that?
“But here, anybody can wake up in the morning and abuse the President, and we are happy. You are lucky you have a President who believes in the rule of law. You are lucky. Continue to be lucky. There are those you will meet that you won’t be lucky again.”
Sowore had in an August 25 post on 𝕏 accused Tinubu of “lying shamelessly” after the president reportedly said in Brazil that corruption no longer existed in Nigeria.
The Department of State Services (DSS) subsequently filed criminal charges against Sowore, accusing him of defamation and breaching Nigeria’s Cybercrimes and Terrorism Prevention laws. The DSS also urged social media platforms to remove the post.
Sowore, however, refused to delete the tweet, describing the DSS’s action as an attempt to silence dissent. “This is despicable,” he said.
The minister also spoke on the indefinite strike declared by the FCT Association of Resident Doctors, saying the administration had allocated ₦25bn to health capital projects in the 2025 budget.
“The people who now say they are being owed allowances, fine. We lost our Head of Service; we just appointed an acting Head of Service. And I said, okay, go and check, how much are they talking about?
“They said they’ve not employed doctors. I said chairman Civil Service Commission, they said they’ve gotten a waiver, fine. What’s my own? Go and employ them. I am not a doctor, I’ve never thought to be a doctor, go ahead and employ them,” Wike stated.
Wike dismissed threats of demonstrations, insisting governance must follow due process.
“The SSS called me that people said they will demonstrate, that we are paying attention to roads, not health. Demonstration is allowed everywhere. Nobody will blackmail me, nobody will stop me from doing what I think is right and doing it at the right time,” he said.
He warned against politicising the FCT Civil Service, stressing that allowances and other entitlements would be settled once due procedures are completed.
“If the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury brings the bill now, that this is what the allowances are, what’s my own? Why would I hold it? They will pay. But know that everything has a procedure. But to tell me you will demonstrate, you will block the road—allow them. But nobody can stop me from holding this occasion today. Not one,” Wike declared.
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