The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has faulted a report credited to an online blog with the caption: “This ₦300M Armored Lexus LX 600 fitted with ‘FCT – 01’ reportedly belongs to FCT Minister, Wike”.
Wike in a swift reaction, during his first project tour at the Abuja Metro station stressed that the vehicle was not bulletproof as claimed but a regular SUV.
The minister advised journalists, bloggers, and media outlets to exercise responsible journalism by verifying information from authorised sources before disseminating to the public.
He said that fabricated stories, such as the ones in question, only serve to damage the reputation of respected public figures and create unnecessary anxiety amongst the citizenry.
He said, “We are now going to the office to have a direct report from each of the departments, but I have seen what is going on in the social media, how you (FCTA Permanent Secretary) bought a bulletproof car of N300m that I am using.
“So I want you people to go hit your hand there (on the car) and see whether it is a treated car. With all due respect, people should be careful not to destroy other people.
“When I came, the Permanent Secretary said they have a car for us, and the car we use is this. I have never approved any car to be bought and I have not used an official bullet-proof car. Whether I have cars as governor?
“Yes, as a governor, what do you expect I should have? But, I am not using bulletproof cars as FCT Minister, so we should report the right thing, and not destroy ourselves. I want you to take a look at where you have the flag, and see whether it is a bullet-proof car”, he said.
The minister also faulted a report in a major Nigerian newspaper claiming that he is embarking on a demolition spree targeting 6000 houses across 30 settlements in Abuja as well as the Wadata Plaza. These stories are entirely false and without any basis in reality, he clarified.
It can be recalled that the story on the demolition of 6000 houses was reported by a national daily newspaper on August 22, 2023, with the caption “Abuja land: FG may revoke land allocations, demolish 6000 buildings, slums” while another mainstream newspaper also published this highly irritating story: “Wadata Plaza will go down, Reactions trail Wike’s demolition threat”.
The minister said there was nowhere he listed the areas or the number of illegal houses to be removed, rather his emphasis has always been that illegal settlements and structures would be removed for the greater good of the public.
He further stated that the headline from a reputable broadcast station saying, “I will fix Abuja in 6 days” and attributed same to him was wrong, that there was no time he said so.
