“I Am The Most Hated Government Official” – Wike

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

For daring to plug all revenue leakages, as well as avenues for the diversion of public funds into private pockets, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT; Minister Nyesom Wike says he is the most hated Government official  by civil servants.

At his monthly media chat, Wike disclosed that before his coming on board as the head of the FCT administration, resources meant for development projects were either misappropriated or sighoned by individuals.

According him, since mounting the saddle, he has blocked all known conduit pipes, including the culture of  using funds earmarked for the execution of projects for the organization and attendance of domestic and foreign conferences and other mundane issues.

He emphasized that his insistence on minimizing wastages, culture of prudence, and the prioritisation of infrastructural renewal, and execution of capital projects have inevitably earned him the wrath and hatred of most civil servants who are yet to come to terms with the philosophy of his regime.

“We waste our resources on frivolities. Some people are expecting me to approve funds for them to attend conferences in the United States of America, USA, on such issues as land administration.

“Go to Lagos and Rivers states, study how their own works, or did not work and make comparison here in the FCT, instead of going to as far as the USA and other foreign countries to understudy what can conveniently be done here.

“How do you encourage me to approve N20 million for a conference of one week on land administration?

“Such funds can be better channeled into infrastructural provisions and necessary projects”, Wike stated.

The FCT Minister stated that for years, senior civil servants hid under the canopy of conferences to fleece the treasury, noting that his only offence was to halt such monumental regime of waste.

“Some people say conferences for corruption and I say what is that? You are going for conferences to do what? These are ways Government funds are being diverted. I say put this money in this road here, and the people will get the impact.

” And that is why I can’t be popular with the civil servants. If you ask anybody today one Minister they don’t like, it is me. They won’t like me”,  the FCT Minister added.