Wike Dismisses ₦5bn Contract Claims, Challenges Contractors To Show Proof
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations that he awarded contracts worth ₦5 billion to local contractors, insisting that no such contracts were ever approved under his watch.
In a statement issued on Monday, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, challenged the contractors to provide documentary evidence if their claims were true.
Olayinka explained that when Wike assumed office in December 2023, he met an outstanding bill of about ₦10 billion for projects tagged as “Shopping” or Minor Procurement.
The Minister promptly cleared the debt with payments of over ₦5 billion in December 2023 and another ₦5 billion in January 2024.
However, three months later, a fresh bill of more than ₦15 billion was presented for the same category of projects.
Wike, according to Olayinka, raised concerns, questioning who authorised the contracts since he never did.
“The figures keep changing – from ₦15 billion to ₦8 billion and now ₦5 billion. The real issue is: on whose authority were these contracts awarded?” Olayinka asked.
