Senator Ireti Kingibe has leveled serious accusations against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, claiming he has made life more difficult for Abuja residents since taking office. The lawmaker, speaking on Channels Television, argued that Wike has failed to prioritize the needs of the majority of residents.
While acknowledging ongoing road construction projects, Kingibe asserted that most Abuja residents do not benefit from the new infrastructure due to a lack of public transport. “Yes, he’s building roads, but we don’t have public transport. So the bulk of Abuja residents do not benefit from the roads,” she stated.
Kingibe also questioned the relevance of some of Wike’s development priorities, such as the International Conference Centre (ICC), especially amidst rising insecurity in the FCT and reports of unpaid salaries among Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) workers.
She further criticized Wike’s decision to fire street sweepers, many of whom were indigent women and widows, without consultation or replacement. “The current minister came without consultation with anybody. He, in fact, not without consultation. In spite of imploration, he fired them all. He has not replaced them with anything. So we FCT has had a minister who most FCT residents will say, came to what made life as difficult as possible,” Kingibe concluded.
