Wike, Mahmoud’s Achievements Facade – TAN

Despite numerous “achievements” recorded in the Federal Capital Territory under the leadership of Barrister Nyesom Wike and Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, a Civil Society Organisation under the aegis of Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), has described the infrastructural development as a facade to get the attention of Mr. President.

The group in a statement issued and signed by its national coordinator, Comrade Michael Briggs, and made available to journalists in Abuja revealed that there are more to the recent projects commissioning by the presidency.

The group alleges that all the projects commissioned by the presidency were between 80 to 90 percent completed, as the group expressed concern that most of the payments fall short of financial regulations and accounting process of payments.

The national coordinator also expressed worry that while the presidency applauds the FCT Ministers for a team work, the social sector have been abandoned on the alter of capital projects with the sole aim of siphoning money from the system.

The statement reads in part: “While we join His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to applaud the “laudable achievements” of the current leadership of the FCT Administration, it is also pertinent to draw the attention of Mr. President to the maladministration under Barrister Nyesom Wike and his co-captain, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud.

“For the purpose of clarity, the aim of this press release is not to compel Mr. President to sanction the FCT Ministers but to address the issues factually for the whole world to know what is going on in the FCT Administration under Wike.

“Mr. President, it might interest you to know that all the projects inaugurated by you were over 90 percent completed except the provision of engineering infrastructure to Guzape district which was halted by litigation. But your capable minister made the world to believe that the previous administrations abandoned all the projects.

“To worsen the issue, most of the payments fall short of financial regulations and accounting process of payments. You can fact-check this claim.

“That the FCT social sector have been abandoned on the alter of capital projects with the sole aim of siphoning money from the system, whereas overheads are not paid to any head of the secretariat. To say the least, the civil service is suffocating as we speak.

“That some of the mandate secretaries and permanent secretaries have kept quiet on issues such as this, is because they are afraid of public embarrassment and victimization by the minister. In fact, they are all convulsing in their various secretariat.

“That over N3 billion was expended on Christmas gifts, while the health sector is seriously bleeding and crying for survival. That huge amount is enough to fix our ailing healthcare centres”.

Briggs, however frowned at a situation where the president is giving Nyesom Wike leeway to grab lands as the highest land grabber, thus plundering the only resources of the indigenous people of FCT, just as he assured that it will be resisted by the people.

According to him; “Mr. President, even though you trust Nyesom Wike to a very large extent as you cabinet minister, you do not really know who Nyesom Wike is.

“Permit me to borrow the words of our elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark that Wike is only loyal to himself and nobody else, irrespective of his feigned allegiance. He has fought all his benefactors and your time is coming once you drop him from your cabinet.

“Now, that he is dancing around you, you should know by now that he is dancing because of the juicy portfolio you assigned to him”.