Social Democratic Party presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo says some Nigerian journalists turn Mr. Nyesom Wike, the minister of Federal Capital Territory, into “a clown” by collecting money from him and airing comments that diminish the dignity of his office.
Adebayo, in a remarkable interview with Symfoni, urged the media to stop giving Wike platforms outside FCT matters, saying if he were to appoint Wike to his government, “I’ll put a little tape in his mouth,” to curb his public utterances.
He however praised Wike’s work ethic and contribution to infrastructure in the FCT while sharply criticising the minister’s style of public communication and what he described as the glorification of force and state power.
“I respect Wike for one thing: that he has a good work ethic. He can work,” Adebayo said.
According to him, Wike remains the number one performing minister under President Bola Tinubu and that any progress recorded in the FCT is largely due to the minister showing up and doing the work.
The SDP candidate noted that previous FCT ministers had achieved far less, stressing that if commissioners of works across the states matched Wike’s output, Nigeria would have better infrastructure.
Adebayo acknowledged that contracts under Wike may be inflated and value for money may be lacking, but pointed out that visible work is being done.
As an FCT resident, he claimed that travel has become easier, and daily life has improved because of the projects being executed.
Notwithstanding, he labelled Wike as a “bad example for Nigerian politics” because of his approach to the use of force and state power.
Nonetheless, Adebayo hopes that the former Rivers governor would learn that power is transient and that a civilised society is preferable before circumstances force that lesson on him.
He warned that Wike’s style risks raising a generation of young people who believe democratic politics can be conducted through force or thuggish talk.
The SDP candidate said while he seeks capable people like Wike who deliver results, public office holders must combine competence with restraint and respect for democratic norms.
Turning to the performance of the Tinubu administration, Adebayor accused it of intellectual dishonesty, noting that it is deluded about the real value of increased revenue figures.
He singled out the chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, accusing him of gaslighting Nigerians with claims of vastly improved FAAC allocations that ignore the collapse in purchasing power.