The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained how funding for major infrastructure projects in Abuja is incorporated into government plans, following allegations by Senator Ireti Kingibe over the financing of projects in the nation’s capital.
Wike spoke on Tuesday in Abuja while inspecting some ongoing projects in the Federal Capital Territory.Read original
The minister rejected Kingibe’s claim that loans were obtained for capital projects without the required approval of the National Assembly.
According to Wike, government borrowing for such projects cannot simply be undertaken outside the established budgetary and legislative process.
He explained that when the government intends to obtain financing for projects, such borrowing is reflected in the budget submitted through the appropriate constitutional process.
“If you want to take a loan, you will include it in the budget. It is part of the budget that we are going to collect a loan to execute some projects in the FCT,” Wike said.
Wike Questions Kingibe’s Understanding
The FCT minister also criticised Kingibe over her allegation, arguing that the senator appeared unfamiliar with the procedures surrounding government borrowing and public finance.
Wike questioned how an official could legally obtain a government loan for major public projects without the involvement of the National Assembly.
“Do non-lawyers know where we can go and take a loan without the approval of the National Assembly?” he asked.
He further dismissed Kingibe’s political relevance, claiming that her tenure in the Senate was effectively coming to an end.
Wike said residents of the FCT had already made their political choice, claiming that they would support President Bola Tinubu’s administration and former FCT senator Philip Aduda.
“She’s already packing her things out. The people have made a choice; they are going to support President Tinubu and Aduda,” he said.
Minister Links Dispute to Abuja’s Infrastructure Projects
Wike also suggested that Kingibe’s concerns were connected to the scale of infrastructure development currently taking place across Abuja.
According to him, the senator had previously criticised his administration for allegedly failing to deliver enough projects but was now questioning the source of funding after seeing construction work taking place across the capital.
“I thought she criticised that I’m doing nothing. So now her problem is that I took a loan,” Wike said.
The minister added that the more important issue should be whether available funds were being used for projects that benefit residents of the FCT.
“Assuming I took a loan, our concern should have been: are we applying the loan to fulfil the interest of residents?” he said.
Wike’s comments come amid continued political disagreements between the FCT administration and Kingibe over the management, funding and development of the nation’s capital.
