The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Mr. Lere Olayinka, has denied claims that the Minister awarded N5 billion in new contracts.
In a statement issued Monday in Abuja, Olayinka described the reports circulating on social media as “baseless and without evidence,” urging critics to present official documentation if such contracts exist.
He clarified that what the Minister approved were payments for inherited liabilities, not new contracts. According to him, in December 2023, the FCT Administration presented a bill of about N10 billion for projects carried out by local contractors before Wike took office.
“The Minister approved and paid over N5 billion in December 2023 and another N5 billion in January 2024, thereby clearing the entire N10 billion backlog,” he said.
Olayinka added that by March 2024, another bill of over N15 billion was submitted under the “Minor Procurement” category, which prompted Wike to demand explanations.
“How can you claim to have executed projects worth N15 billion in three months without ministerial approval?” Olayinka queried, stressing that subsequent variations of the alleged debt—from N15 billion to N8 billion and now N5 billion—raised serious accountability concerns.
He said the real issue was transparency in contract approvals, not speculation about Wike’s role.
“Those are the questions they have to answer first,” he concluded.
