Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has dismissed speculations that he could revive his presidential ambition in 2027, saying as a man who abhors disloyalty, he cannot contest against his boss, President Bola Tinubu.
Noting that he remained committed to the successes of the Tinubu administration, Wike recalled how his eternal quest for justice led him and five other Governors of the People’s Democratic Party PDP to form the G5 to canvass for power shift and support the presidential ambition of Tinubu.
Speaking in an interview on Friday in Abuja, the minister said good character should never be sacrificed on the altar of politics.
He said; “Tinubu made me the FCT minister and I won’t allow anybody to crumble our political structure. No!
“Tinubu made me minister, people don’t understand, I have character. What will happen in 2027? I stood and I said I am not going to support injustice. I was threatened that they would do me this and that. They tried many options including using Major Generals.”
On the reported face-off with Governor Siminalayi Fubara of his home state, Rivers, Wike said he did not want to dwell on the matter but later declared that the best test of a person’s character is to give him power and money.
He said; “Give a man power and money, and that is when you will know the person. If you have not given manpower and money don’t say you know the person.
“He may be your friend, he may be your son, sister mother or father. I don’t want to go into that.
“In three months, it is sad for someone to scatter a political structure that supported and brought you up.
You know what is painful? All these allegations, I smile. Who and who sat with him? In all your doings be grateful in your life no matter the circumstance. Nobody who is a gentleman and a politician will support this kind of thing.”
On his achievements as governor of Rivers State, wike said: “I was paying pensioner’s gratuity every month which were not paid by my predecessor. I took Rivers State to the level where you cannot discuss politics in Nigeria without Rivers State.
I was an ordinary minister when I became a governor. I challenged the sitting governor and I defeated his candidate. I worked hard.”
Speaking on the new requirements for acquisition of land in the Territory especially the introduction of National Identity Number NIN and Biometric Verification Number BVN to get a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), the minister said the new features were for security and revenue generation.
“There are a lot of discrepancies, a lot of cloning of C-of-Os, so we have come up with an idea that every allottee who seeks and applies for a C-of-O must supply his NIN; this is one of the features we are going to put in the new C-of-O.
“If a corporate body doesn’t have an NIN and they have a property, they must put their BVN. So many persons have not registered, and this will make them go and re-register”, he stated.
Addressing the issue of existing landlords with C-of-Os, Wike stated that they would only be required to pay a nominal fee for recertification.
“For everyone who has a C-of-O, they will come for a recertification, so that we can incorporate the NIN or BVN.
“Those who had a C-of-O before don’t need to pay money again; the highest they can pay is N50,000, and corporate bodies will pay N100,000. It helps in terms of security; it also helps to improve our revenue generation.
“There are people who own seven properties, so this will identify them so they can pay taxes”, he added.
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