President Bola Tinubu has disclosed that he jokingly threatened to sack the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, if his policies did not align with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Tinubu made the remark at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, when Wike led a delegation of prominent FCT residents on a Sallah homage to mark the end of Ramadan fasting and Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
The president recalled how Wike approached him with a request to remove the FCT from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to allow for greater financial flexibility and infrastructure development.
“I remember the day Nyesom Wike came to me and said, ‘Please, take us out of this problem of Treasury Single Account (TSA) so that I can do more work and achieve more,’” Tinubu stated.
He also recounted how he challenged Wike on the potential political implications of his policies.
“And he presented it, and I threw in my own political guide: ‘Would that give me any opportunity for my party (APC) to win the election in FCT?’”
“I said, ‘I know where you are coming from, your own party (PDP) or my party. If this thing goes too much in your own favour, you will lose your job.’ Then he said, ‘Okay, we settle that, Oga.”
Tinubu commended Wike for implementing policies that have transformed the FCT, particularly in infrastructure, health, and education.
“He came up with a lot of good ideas to liberate the bureaucracy, bring forward-looking, progressive thinking to the administration, and provide opportunities for many who would have been hindered by property rights,” he noted.
According to Tinubu, Wike’s initiatives have led to the revitalisation of the vice president’s residence, which had been abandoned for years. Rehabilitation of health centres and improvement of health services for FCT residents. Upgrading of school infrastructure and teacher welfare programmes.
“Thank you, Wike,” the president concluded, acknowledging the minister’s efforts.
