Prominent Nigerian human rights activist and #RevolutionNow leader, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for setting the minimum wage for FCT workers at a mere N70,000.
Sowore expressed his outrage on social media, calling out Wike’s decision as inadequate.
Wike’s approval of the N70,000 minimum wage is the implementation of the new minimum wage for all administration staff in the FCT.
However, Sowore’s criticism highlights concerns about the wage’s sufficiency, especially considering the current economic climate.
Wike justified the approval of the N70,000 minimum wage as an effort to alleviate the struggles of FCT Administration employees.
However, Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), slammed Wike’s decision, calling it “wickedness”.
Sowore criticised Wike, whom he labelled as “corrupt” for paying FCT workers a meagre N70,000 while spending millions of naira to build luxury homes for judges.
“Wicked and corrupt Nyeson Wike, paying paltry N70k to FCT, Abuja workers but building N700m homes to corrupt Nigerian judges!” he posted on his X account on Tuesday.
Wike faces intense criticism for building luxury homes for Nigerian judges.
Prominent critics, including human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and Sowore, have accused Wike of attempting to influence judges and compromise the judiciary’s independence.
Specifically, they allege that Wike’s generosity is a tactical move to secure favourable rulings in his ongoing cases before some of the beneficiary judges.
This perceived quid-pro-quo arrangement has sparked concerns about judicial impartiality, corruption and bribery and the politicisation of the judiciary.
Sowore in a social media post in October titled, ‘Nyesom Wike and Corruption of the Nigerian Judiciary’, said Wike has been a major corruptor of the Nigerian judiciary, stressing that he has the judiciary in his breast pocket.
He said, “Nyesom Ezenwo Wike – CON, GSSRS, has been a major corruptor of the judiciary.
“In judicial circles, he is called the “Golden Boy of the Judiciary” because of his uncanny ability to help corrupt the judiciary.
“When Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa was the President of the Court of Appeal, Wike gave her a contract to build the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt and anything Wike wanted was granted before he asked.
“Even before he became governor of Rivers State, Wike was the go-to guy to buy judgements or judges during election tribunals or contentious legal matters.
“Building judges’ houses is a direct bribe; besides this brazen bribery of judicial officers, Wike is also allocating lands to senior judges in choice areas in Abuja as we speak!
“Wike has the Nigerian Judiciary in his breast pocket.”
On his part, Falana described Wike’s action as an embarrassment to the judiciary, which ought to maintain its independence as one of the three arms of government in Nigeria.
