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Wike fumes, describes fraud allegations against Gbajabiamila as ‘rubbish, madness’

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Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Thursday branded recent allegations linking the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to a fictitious government agency as “rubbish” and “madness”, insisting the claims were designed to embarrass the government.

“Without prejudice, I know the Chief of Staff very well. He did not do it,” Wike said during his monthly media parley in Abuja. “If you want to embarrass any government, these are the targets, the Chief of Staff and the Secretary to Government. Does it make sense that an agency that does not exist, he will tell him to give him so, so amount of money? It’s madness. If the young man (Prince Mathew Adeniyi) knows that it’s correct, why is he running away? How can you come out to make such a statement and then you run away?” Wike queried.

The minister urged Nigerians to disregard opposition calls for politicians to join the independent probe panel set up by President Bola Tinubu, describing such demands as political theatre that risks undermining the formal investigation. He asked the public to allow the panel to carry out its work without interference.

FCT’s IGR jumped from ₦9bn to ₦40bn after TSA exit

While addressing the political controversy, Wike also reiterated that the FCTA’s exit from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has unlocked fresh funding avenues for Abuja’s development, allowing the administration to use its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as collateral for commercial loans.

He said the reform, approved by President Tinubu, and tighter revenue controls have seen monthly IGR rise from about ₦9 billion in 2023 to roughly ₦40 billion in 2026.

“When we came on board, our IGR was a mere N9 billion a month. As I speak to you today, our IGR is about N40 billion. These are the benefits of exiting the TSA,” Wike said, adding that the stronger cash flow has financed a flurry of projects — from water schemes and school renovations to the resumption of stalled hospital works.

He also warned of a zero-tolerance approach to encroachments on new assets, announcing task forces to clear illegal markets and reclaim parks converted to private uses.

He said the administration has restructured its budget to prioritise capital expenditure and has cleared arrears owed to contractors to ensure timely project completion.