Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says no amount of intimidation or blackmail will derail his focus on infrastructure development in Abuja.
Wike stated this on Tuesday while commissioning the rehabilitated Phase II of the Lower Usuma Dam Water Treatment Plant in Bwari Area Council. His remarks followed media reports, including a Channels Television broadcast, alleging that the FCT Administration owed local contractors about ₦5 billion.
“I will never be intimidated. The problem in this country is that when you fight corruption, corruption fights back. That is what is happening, but we are going to defeat it,” Wike said.
The minister denied knowledge of the debts, accusing civil servants of awarding contracts worth ₦10m–₦20m without ministerial approval. He challenged contractors to present proof. “Let anybody who said I awarded a contract bring the documents and show the job they are commissioning,” he added.
Wike said his administration is prioritising large-scale capital projects, adjusting the budget ratio to 70 percent for capital expenditure and 30 percent for recurrent spending, a reversal of previous allocations. He also pointed to an increase in the FCT’s internally generated revenue from ₦9 billion to over ₦30 billion monthly as the main funding source for projects.
On the project at hand, Wike explained that the ₦50 billion Phase II rehabilitation was awarded in 2022 and completed under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda. He said the upgrade would expand capacity and boost water supply to Abuja residents.
He further announced that the Federal Executive Council had approved rehabilitation of Phases I, III and IV, and that a ₦90 billion project to extend water to satellite towns would commence this week in Bwari and Karu.
“All these efforts are to make life easier for FCT residents. Development is not only in the city; we are taking it to the satellite towns as well,” Wike said.
