By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended his earlier comments in which he urged protesting teachers not to politicize the current insecurity bedeviling the country.
Wike has made the comments while addressing protesting members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT chapter who joined their counterparts across the country in protest against regular school abductions.
Wike also expressed satisfaction with the completion of several major infrastructure projects in Abuja, while also reacting to developments within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking after inspecting ongoing and completed projects across the FCT, Wike said preparations were underway for the inauguration of multiple projects as part of activities marking President Bola Tinubu’s third year in office.
According to the minister, projects inspected included the interchange linking Jahi and Gwarinpa, the Airport Road-Kuje corridor, the Kuje township road network, and the renovated Abuja City Gate.
“All the projects we inspected are 100 per cent ready. We are very happy with the quality of work done by the contractors and their commitment to delivering within schedule,” Wike said.
He noted that the completed projects would improve connectivity between the city centre and satellite communities, adding that residents could now travel more easily between Abuja and Kuje.
Wike described the projects as evidence of what he called the implementation of the Federal Government’s development agenda in both the city centre and rural communities.
The minister disclosed that project commissioning is expected to commence soon, although the final schedule would be determined by the Presidency.
He added that other senior government officials, including the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the First Lady, may participate in the inauguration ceremonies due to the number of projects involved.
On security, Wike defended remarks he made during a recent engagement with protesting members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), where he cautioned against politicising insecurity.
The minister said his comments had been misunderstood, insisting that security challenges should be viewed as a national concern rather than an issue affecting only specific regions or groups.
“We are all concerned about insecurity. What I said was that whenever insecurity occurs anywhere in the country, Nigerians should be equally concerned. It should not become an issue only when it affects a particular location,” he stated.
According to him, governments at all levels remain committed to securing the release of kidnapped victims and addressing broader security threats.
Reacting to recent claims by the Emeka Beke-led faction of the APC in Rivers State regarding party leadership and candidate nominations, Wike dismissed the assertions, arguing that the Court of Appeal ruling referenced by the group did not invalidate party primaries conducted by the APC National Working Committee.
He maintained that party primaries are conducted at the national level and urged party members to properly understand the legal implications of the court decision before making public statements.
The former Rivers State governor also commented on recent claims surrounding the PDP leadership dispute and reports suggesting that a Court of Appeal judgment had invalidated decisions taken by the party’s current leadership.
Wike rejected the interpretation of the judgment, arguing that the appeal in question had been dismissed.
“When an appeal is dismissed, it means the party that filed the appeal has lost. It does not amount to invalidating actions already taken,” he said.
He urged party members and supporters to await future developments, particularly actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), rather than relying on what he described as misleading public narratives.
Wike further accused some political actors of attempting to sustain false hopes among supporters despite adverse court decisions.
