“I’m the most hated minister” — Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he believes many civil servants in the FCT are unhappy with his administration, saying his decision to block what he described as wasteful spending has made him unpopular.

Wike made the revelation during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, where he said resources previously spent on foreign conferences and other activities had been redirected into infrastructure projects, especially road construction.

The minister said he rejected requests to approve large sums for overseas conferences, arguing that such funds could be better used for projects that directly benefit residents.

He said some of the spending practices he stopped provided opportunities for the diversion of public funds.

“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,” Wike said.

Explaining the reason behind his strained relationship with some workers, Wike said his reforms affected those who previously benefited from such spending.

“And that’s why I can’t be popular among civil servants. If you ask anybody today, one minister they won’t like is me. Why? Those money for conferences, I put the money together for roads,” he said.

Wike also revealed that he changed the FCT budget structure after assuming office, moving from a system where a larger percentage went into recurrent expenditure to one where more funds were committed to capital projects.

According to him, the shift was necessary to accelerate development in Nigeria’s capital city.

The minister has continued to face criticism over some of his policies, including reforms in land administration, demolition of illegal structures and his approach to cutting government spending.