Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, has reacted to the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by US President Donald Trump, following alleged genocide of Christians by Islamic militants in several parts of the country as politics taken too far.
Trump had in a tweet at the weekend, threatened the President Bola Tinubu administration that the US War Department would not hesitate to invade the country and impose economic sanctions on her if the attack continued.
Wike, who spoke Monday evening on Channel TV Politics Today, described the American government’s allegation as laughable.
He said: “Before I came for this interview, so many people were sending me messages telling me not to speak about Trump, and I just laughed. I’m a full-blooded Nigerian and a Christian. My father is a pastor, and my family are all Christians. This is politics taken too far.
“The Inspector General of Police, Director-General of the DSS, present and former Chief of Defence Staff and even the Secretary to the Government of the Federation are all Christians. Tell me how all of these people will sit in this government and will support the killings of Christians.”
The FCT Minister also rubbished claims that he betrayed his political associate, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State by truncating his ambition to run for the office of the President under the PDP.
Rather, he accused Makinde, who was a member of the G5 of destroying the PDP and foisting the prevailing crises on the party.
He rubbished Makinde’s presidential ambition, saying, “When we are talking of fresh animal, you should not be talking about a crab.”
According to him, the ability of a person to govern the country should not be about being an engineer or having a doctorate degree or waking up in the morning and wanting to be a presidential candidate.
Wike claimed that when Makinde was bereaved, he led a delegation, including former Governor of Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, and former Governor of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu and Senator Mao Ohuanbunwa, where they went to pay Makinde a condolence visit on the death of his senior brother.
“I told him, ‘Seyi, the way you are going, you will destroy the party. The way you are going, it will not help us. You are my friend, you are my brother, melembe, melembe.(Calm down. Take it easy)
“Look at the crisis now. Look at it. What do you want me to do? Ask the former governor of Enugu, whether we sat down with him one day, sat with him, said ‘listen, the way we are going, let’s not do this way. Let’s walk this way’. I have never, and I cannot betray. And nobody can say. He has also not told me he is running for president.”
Wike also accused the PDP leadership of acting against the court’s judgement on the party’s internal crisis by suspending four principal members of the party’s working committee, including the National secretary and the National Legal Adviser over the weekend.
Wike accused PDP National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum of incompetence and overwhelming corruption, asking him to remove his ego and stoop to conquer to salvage the party from sinking further.
=Defending his decision to travel to Dubai, UAE recently for a summit with his two sons as official delegates, he insisted there was no law forbidding his sons from attending the conference and accompanying him to official events.
“What official matter? Did they sign any document?” he asked, insisting that the trip did not need to be a personal trip. What’s wrong? I can travel with anybody from the Federal Capital Territory. I can travel with anybody from Nigeria. I have that right.
“Oh, come on. They have to know how Nigeria is, they have to learn about government. They have to know that the society… ”
Wike said his first son, who is a lawyer was interested in farming and has undergone training in Spain and Portugal and would be heading for China this week, while the second son, an economist also wanted to be a lawyer.
Olawale Ajimotokan
About the Author
