The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stated that the biggest blunders committed by his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, were attempting to handle matters single-handedly and trying to establish his own political network too soon after taking office as governor.
Wike remarked that it was astounding that Fubara began moves to create his political framework when he was barely 100 days into his tenure.
He asserted that this turn of events clearly demonstrated that the governor disregarded those who backed him alongside the political structure that elevated him to power.
Wike disclosed this during a special media interaction conducted in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Saturday. The FCT minister indicated that upon departing office as governor, he had established a strong foundation which he intended for Fubara to build upon so that the state could progressively catch up with Lagos regarding infrastructure, though he was unaware that his successor held different plans.
Wike noted that he launched the multi-billion-naira Port Harcourt Ring Road project connecting several local government areas a venture that had already commenced prior to handing over to the current governor characterizing it as a legacy initiative he conceived.
He mentioned that he constructed 12 flyovers, all of which were inaugurated during his tenure as governor of the oil-rich state, adding that they enhanced the infrastructure and visual appeal of Port Harcourt, the state capital, and its surrounding areas. While observing that politicians must be thorough in their affairs, Wike stated that Fubara’s misstep had further expanded the developmental gap he aimed to bridge between Lagos and Rivers states.
Wike stated, “In politics you have to be careful. There are those who want you to succeed and make a name. The opportunity that you have been given, not everybody that has that opportunity. There are those who are not happy who don’t want you to be there, and you have to be very careful.
“Remember before I handed over to governor Fubara we did a church service and I did say that you have been elected. Few days you will be sworn in, Now what do you want to achieve? See where I have stopped. My thinking is that we do need to compete with Lagos. We have laid the foundation, he (Fubara) should be able to continue from there, we will give you all the necessary support.”
He expressed that part of Fubara’s issues stemmed from early in his administration when he began paying heed to those who desired his downfall, including individuals who coveted the position he currently holds, asserting they were the ones who urged the governor to initiate a dispute with him.
“But listen, in this game you have your stone base (support), you have your village relation, you have all kinds and manner of people. There are those who will mean well for you, there are those who will not mean well for you. “Now you just came to office, somebody now comes, yes he is trying to support you. Must it be his name? Why not try now to put yourself and people know that it is you.
“Yes you came through him but it is now you; all kinds of manner of things. Some will even go through your wife. Some people will go through your in-laws. So people will go through your father and all kinds of things. “You have to think well. If you make the mistake which he made by saying that yes I can do it alone, those who gave me support I don’t care, I don’t need them. Those who didn’t want you will come in. There is no way anybody who didn’t want you to be in a position will want you to succeed.
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“Yes, he tried to do it by himself and he wanted to set up his own structure as against the structure that built him. In fact it did not take up to 100 days and we saw it. We said something must be fundamentally wrong. Forget about people who say you were asking him for money. You know one thing in politics is that the moment you disagree on an issue, the only thing you can use to get the support of the people is that they are asking me for money.”
He remembered that as governor, he never lost direction, which he noted explained why he accomplished what he did and desired for his successor to build upon it for the benefit of the state.
“You (referring to one of the journalists) have said here that Nigerians were astonished by me taking 31 days of commission and flag off which no governor in this country has ever done. We were focused but you see, he (Fubara) lost focus here.”
When asked if he had requested funds from Governor Fubara, as had been rumored in certain circles, Wike refuted the claim, stating it was not unexpected for such allegations to surface whenever political disputes arise.
Wike questioned why he would demand money when he serves as the FCT minister with a budget comparable to that of a state government, maintaining that all he desired was for Fubara to stabilize the state and build upon his accomplishments.
“If it was money that we were asking for we wouldn’t have prevailed. But we said look this is a political group that worked hard it will be too wrong, too early for anybody to give you this advice. We said look what do I want, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. It’s just like a governor. I present my own budget, The budget of the FCT this year is about N1.8 trillion, So I don’t know what I want.
All I wanted was to look, stabilize the place, move on from where I stopped, and I laid a fantastic foundation so we will be able to compete with Lagos. “Look as I went to the FCT the money FCT was collecting monthly as IGR (Internally Generated Revenue) was N8 billion. But as I speak to you today we have hit up to N40 billion monthly. That is people who want to work, who want to achieved result,
“So his mistake led to where it is too far in the day the difference between us (Rivers) and Lagos,” the former Rivers State governor added.
