The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has blamed the political crisis between him and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on what he described as the governor’s decision to distance himself from the political structure that brought him to power.
Wike said Fubara’s biggest mistake was believing he could govern alone and attempting to build his own political structure less than 100 days after assuming office.
The former Rivers State governor made the remarks during a special media chat in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
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According to Wike, he handed over a state with a solid development foundation and expected Fubara to build on it so Rivers could gradually rival Lagos in infrastructure and economic growth.
“You have to think well. If you make the mistake which he made by saying, ‘Yes, I can do it alone. Those who gave me support, I don’t care. I don’t need them,’ those who never wanted you will come in,” Wike said.
He alleged that some politicians who never supported Fubara’s emergence as governor influenced him to break away from the political structure that produced him.
“Yes, he tried to do it by himself and he wanted to set up his own structure as against the structure that built him. In fact, it did not take up to 100 days and we saw it. We said something must be fundamentally wrong.”
Wike said he repeatedly advised Fubara to consolidate on the achievements of his administration rather than allow himself to be influenced by people pursuing personal interests.
According to him, he had envisioned Rivers competing with Lagos after initiating major infrastructure projects, including the Port Harcourt Ring Road and completing 12 flyovers before leaving office.
“I said we need to compete with Lagos. We have laid the foundation. He should be able to continue from there, and we would give him all the necessary support.”
The FCT minister also dismissed allegations that he demanded money from Fubara, describing the claims as a familiar tactic often deployed during political disagreements.
“If it was money that we were asking for, we wouldn’t have prevailed. What do I want? I am the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. I present my own budget. The FCT budget this year is about N1.8 trillion, so I don’t know what I want.”
Wike said his only expectation was for Fubara to stabilise Rivers State and continue the developmental agenda already underway.
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Highlighting his achievements since becoming FCT minister, Wike revealed that the territory’s internally generated revenue had increased significantly under his administration.
“When I came to the FCT, monthly IGR was about N8 billion. Today, we have reached up to N40 billion monthly. That is what happens when people are focused and determined to achieve results.”
He maintained that Fubara’s political decisions ultimately widened the development gap between Rivers and Lagos, insisting that the state had lost valuable time that could have been used to accelerate growth.
