Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations by some partisans that the decision of President Bola Tinubu through the FCT Administration to provide residential accommodations for Judges was aimed at pocketing the Judiciary.
Wike who spoke on Wednesday evening during a media chat in Abuja said the decision is part of the welfare packages of the Federal Government meant to enhance the independence of the third arm of government.
According to him, the project was already captured in the 2024 budget and his duty as Minister is to implement it.
He said; “Tinubu said, ‘where are the judges living? They have no homes and therefore open to political manipulation and for me as a president who wants to guaranty the independence of the judiciary judges must have their homes’.
“I am not Mr President. I am only lucky to be appointed as a minister under this administration and who is in the position to implement his policies. And Mr President said, look, this is what he wants, come up and see what we can do.
“It was approved by Mr President, sent to the National Assembly in the 2024 budget that there should be construction of judges and Justices quarters. That they should move judges from where they are renting houses, living among criminals – a policy anybody should commend Mr President for. It is in the budget of 2024, appropriated by the National Assembly, assented to by Mr President which is a law. What is the problem? I am only the implementer…go and implement this.
“The Federal Executive Council approved the contract and everything, it is not my policy, how will you now want to kill me that I am implementing what the Federal Government approved?” He queried.
The minister insisted that there was nothing wrong even if the decision was originally his, saying as Governor, he did the same thing.
Wike also chided the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi state Governor, Senator Bala Muhammed for fighting him after losing out in his bid to pocket the party’s leadership.
Vanguard News
