Former Rivers State Executive Governor Nyesom Wike has said he was focused on his work as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT and was not distracted by the political situation in his state.
The FCT Minister made this known to the press on Friday when he carried out the final inspection of some of the ongoing projects that are scheduled for commissioning in the FCT. He said;“I am not distracted. If I am distracted, you won’t see this performance here. I am focused on my work, so I’m not distracted. “I’m Minister of the FCT and work is going on. I don’t even think about it at all”. The face-off between the Minister and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara is generating a lot of concerns from well-meaning Nigerians. Many of the Commissioners in Fubara’s administration, who came through the FCT Minister, resigned their positions during the week.
Wike, before leaving office as governor, had built a large political structure and almost replicated what has been the wrong antecedents in Lagos State, as he singlehandedly picked those who were elected to occupy office in the last election. From the local government chairmen to the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and up to the federal lawmakers at the National Assembly, Wike solely selected each contestant and ensured they won. Not satisfied, he appointed a majority of the cabinet members of the current administration, thus initially rendering Governor Fubara a political vegetable and one who is still tied to the apron of the FCT minister, would be shoved aside if he mounts the least opposition to commands from Abuja. The plan of Wike, although unvoiced, was to replicate the trend in Lagos and thus made the Rivers State governor a rubber stamp. Like Lagos
The court had earlier stopped the 25 members of the state assembly loyal to the minister from parading themselves as lawmakers for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Barr. Wike also announced that President Bola Tinubu has approved a nine-day period, designated as FCT Week, for the inauguration of completed projects in the nation’s capital.
He said the FCT Week would commence on 27 May with the launch of the commercial operation of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit.
