Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a scathing attack on former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, describing him as a “lunatic” who lacks the moral standing to ever govern Nigeria.
Addressing reporters on Friday at his Life Camp residence in Abuja following a meeting with area council chairmen, Wike pushed back fiercely against Amaechi’s reported characterisation of President Bola Tinubu’s supporters as “thieves and mad people.”
Firing back at his predecessor, Wike challenged Amaechi to clear his name over several controversial transactions executed during his tenure as governor of Rivers State. He specifically pointed to an alleged $39 million payout for an uncompleted cassava flour mill, a $10 million mosquito fumigation contract, the ₦68 billion monorail project, and the sale of state-owned gas turbines for $308 million.
“Who can be a bigger thief than Amaechi?” Wike asked, accusing the former governor of severe financial recklessness.
“A man who wants to be a presidential candidate or vice-presidential candidate of a country cannot account for paying humongous amounts of $39 million for a project that does not exist,” he added.
Wike also chided journalists for failing to scrutinise opposition figures with the same intensity applied to government officials. He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to penalise politicians who rely on personal insults, arguing that electioneering should focus on track records and policy proposals.
Warning Amaechi to retract his comments, the minister threatened to make Rivers State politically hostile for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain ahead of the 2027 elections.
“If he continues this line, it will be difficult for him to campaign in Rivers,” Wike warned.
### Wike Orders Striking FCT Workers Back to Duty, Threatens ‘No Work, No Pay’
Turning to local governance, Wike dismissed the indefinite strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the FCT over a dispute involving the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), labeling the industrial action purely political.
He clarified that teachers’ promotion issues were already being resolved, while matters concerning directorate positions were established civil service policies beyond the jurisdiction of local education authorities to alter.
“The issue of promotion is ongoing. The issue of director is an establishment matter, which LEAs cannot just come now to change,” Wike stated.
Directing area council chairmen to order teachers and civil servants back to work immediately, Wike declared that the administration would strictly enforce the “no work, no pay” policy against recalcitrant workers.
“We cannot continue with this. Enough is enough,” he said.
The minister alleged that the FCT NLC chairman was orchestrating the crisis for political ends, claiming the union leader had previously contested an area council election on the platform of the ADC. He accused the labor leadership of trying to destabilise the capital to score cheap political points despite ongoing implementations of signed agreements.
In a final directive, Wike disclosed that urban control task forces and security agencies have been ordered to immediately clear unauthorized structures, illegal motor parks, and roadside beer parlours across the territory to curb rising security concerns.
