By Charles Igbo
“As Minister of the FCT, I cane to Church, not even the courtesy of recognising that the Minister of FCT came in, and I laughed. When I was Governor here, you were all praising me here and there, saying I did this, I did that. Fake”
The Anglican Bishop of Niger Delta Diocese, His Lordship, The Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, a couple of days ago, got a dose of the anger and acidic tongue of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Wike, the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, chastised the Bishop for not acknowledging his presence in Church. He said that the non recognition of his presence in the congregation by the Bishop was different from his experience as the Governor each time he was in Church. He, therefore, dismissed all the commendation heaped on him then by the Bishop as “fake.”
Wike: “As a Minister of the FCT, I came to the Church, not even the courtesy of recognising that the Minister of FCT came in, and I laughed.
“When I was Governor here, you were all praising me here and there, saying I did this, I did that; fake!”
Trouble started when the Minister, himself a Lawyer, whose wife, Suzzette is a High Court Judge, went to Port Hacourt for the Rededication Service of the 2023/2024 Legal Year of the Rivers State Judiciary. The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, estranged political godson of the Minister was also present.
In Nigeria, Churches have a habit of recognising dignitaries amongst the congregation. Apparently, since it has, sadly, become the norm, Wike as the FCT Minister and a former Governor of the State, expected that “courtesy.” However, for reason(s) not yet known, the Bishop did not extend that to him. The Minister could not understand that “public slight.”, and he did not hide his anger.
Commenting on the incident, the Minister who, obviously, read political meaning in the “slight” told the Bishop, without mentioning the Bishop’s name, that he, the Bishop, is not a Politician, and should be careful not to be treated like one. He warned that those who drag themselves into politics will be “rubbed in the mud of politics.”
Minister Wike: “I saw the preaching; I was watching the preaching of Bishop Oko-Jaja yesterday. I watched the prayers you prayed.
“As a Minister of the FCT, I came to the church; not even the courtesy of recognizing that the Minister of FCT came in, and I laughed.
“When I was Governor here, you were all praising me here and there, saying I did this, I did that; fake!”
He reminded the Bishop that both of them have different roles to play in the society, and should stick to those.
“I tell people. I am a politician and not a Clergy. We have our own roles.
“As a Clergy, you have your own role. I have never asked anybody how do you preach? I have never told anybody this is what to preach.
“If you are not a politician and don’t want what happens to politicians to happen to you, be careful. Because, once you drag yourself into politics, the mud will also be rubbed on you.
“I am a man of character. I wouldn’t have become the Minister of FCT, a non-member of APC to be the Minister, you know that I’m a man of character. Mr President knows and that’s why he made me the minister of FCT.
To confirm how offended he was by his non recognition by the Bishop, he said the Bishop has a duty to respect the congregation, meaning that the Bishop disrespected him.
Wike: “The Bishop has a duty to respect all members of his congregation, regardless of their political affiliation.”
For the records, Wike is a Christian of the Anglican Communion.
