FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended his recent confrontation with a naval officer during a dispute over a plot of land said to be linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday just before the FCT Executive Council meeting, Wike condemned what he called the “audacity” of the retired service chief to deploy serving naval personnel to secure the contentious property.
Facing questions over his decision to visit the site personally, the minister insisted he could not ignore reports that senior officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) had been assaulted while carrying out their duties.
“How can I sit as a minister when government officials are being attacked and beaten up, officials at the level of directors? And I’ll just sit in my office doing what?” he asked.
It would be tensions flared on Tuesday when Wike and his team encountered soldiers around the disputed land in the Gaduwa district, where the minister alleged unauthorized construction was taking place.
Wike accused the retired naval chief of developing the property without proper approval and of unleashing uniformed personnel on FCDA staff who attempted to halt the work. He described the move as a blatant misuse of influence and authority.
He contrasted the incident with how other prominent Nigerians handle similar issues, citing former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an example.
“Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former head of state and president, will simply call me. He’ll say, ‘Minister, I have a problem on this land, can you help?’ and I’ll solve it,” Wike said.
“That is a former head of state, a former elected president, who has the courtesy to call the minister… General T.Y. Danjuma will call you. They never sent soldiers to attack anybody. They just call.”
The minister stressed that the episode should not be misconstrued as an institutional clash between the FCT Administration and the military. If that were the case, he noted, he would have formally approached the military hierarchy for clarification.
Wike maintained that every individual—regardless of status—must follow due process and respect legitimate land allocations. He added that his intervention was not an act of defiance but an effort to restore order.
“I respect all institutions, including the military,” he said, “but we must all operate within the law.”
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