By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the government can’t spend all available funds on salaries and allowances and relegate other development needs across the country.
Wike noted that the government is faced with the challenge of balancing workers’ pay with infrastructure and governance responsibilities.
The minister stated this while addressing FCT workers, under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), according to a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by his media aide, Lere Olayinka.
“Nobody can just bring out the whole money and pay allowances and wages. How will we buy these vehicles? How will we construct the roads? How will we rehabilitate the schools?” he asked.
Recalling a time when funds were not available for the previous FCT administration to work and people complained, Wike said the previous administration had to work with available funds.
He said, “And yet, you’ll say, when this minister was there, he couldn’t do anything. How will he do something? Will he go out and print money?
“When I came, this FCTA idea was N9 billion, N9 billion a month. Today, by the grace of God, we have nothing less than N30 billion every month,” he said. He questioned how performance should be measured, noting the competing demands for public funds.
“Now, what is called performance? So, if we have N30 billion, and then we move N3 billion to augment our salary, and then we say, okay, we move another N10 billion for infrastructure, and then the remaining one, you have to run the…
“The moment you see N5 billion in the account, you remember that something that was not paid in 2015, it is now that they will pay it. That is not the way it is supposed to be.”
He also expressed optimism about the country’s future, urging support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“So, I appeal to you that the future of this country, for all of us, is that our President does the best he can do. But we can also support by being progressive-minded,” Wike added.
The minister also reminded the FCT workers that the strike issue was still in court and advised them to obey the court order, saying disobeying a court order comes with consequences.
“It’s unfortunate when people say they will not obey court orders. That means we’re in a lawless society.
“You go and block the gates and say you will not obey court order. Let me advise you. It depends on who you are dealing with. By the time we go for contempt of court against those who are blocking our gates or those who wrote a letter that they will not obey the court order, then you will see the difference.
“We did not take the law into our hands; all we said was, let’s go and see who is wrong and who is right. We are still open for dialogue, but nobody should threaten the existence of anybody.”
He assured the workers that the problems affecting the FCT administration were being addressed one after the other, stressing that no one could solve all the problems at once.
“The whole essence is to have dialogue where there are problems, and say these problems, I can solve this now, leave this for me tomorrow, I’ll be able to solve that tomorrow. Nobody can solve all our problems, and as long as we are living, problems will come up.
“What is important is that you are focused and you are doing the best you can do. When you leave the office, another person will come and continue from where you stopped,” he added.
