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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations by Senator Ireti Kingibe claiming he secured loans for capital projects across Abuja without obtaining statutory approval from the National Assembly.
While addressing the claims in Abuja on Tuesday following an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects, Wike argued that Kingibe demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding regarding legislative protocols and public finance management.
Clarifying the required procedure for securing official financing, the FCT minister questioned how any public official could realistically bypass lawmakers to secure a loan.
“That’s why she (Kingibe) is not going back to the senate. Do non-lawyers know where we can go and take a loan without the approval of the National Assembly?
“If you want to take a loan, you will include it in the budget. It is part of the budget that we are going to collect a loan to execute some projects in the FCT,” he said.
Dismissing Kingibe’s influence within the FCT political space, Wike asserted that her time in the Senate was effectively drawing to a close.
He noted that residents of the federal capital have thrown their support behind President Bola Tinubu’s government and Philip Aduda, who previously represented the FCT in the 7th, 8th, and 9th Senate.
“She’s already packing her things out. The people have made a choice; they are going to support President Tinubu and Aduda. So let us not waste our time reacting to an ex-senator in all ramifications,” he said.
Wike suggested that the senator’s accusations were rooted in frustration over the rapid pace of road and capital developments across Abuja.
He pointed out that after initially accusing his leadership of achieving nothing, Kingibe altered her stance once physical results became evident across the territory.
“I thought she criticised that I’m doing nothing. So now her problem is that I took a loan.
“Assuming I took a loan, our concern should have been: are we applying the loan to fulfill the interest of residents?
“She believes that with the kind of infrastructure we are doing, we must have taken a loan. Too bad for her. Too bad,” he said.
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