233
By Oscar Okhifo, Abuja
“I have enough land to bury critics.” Those were the unrefined words of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, on Friday during the commissioning of the long-awaited Apo-Wassa road, one of the key access routes under the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) project.
An angry former Rivers State Governor declared that no amount of criticism will derail the President Bola Tinubu administration’s commitment to completing abandoned projects across Abuja.
Wike, well known for careless utterances, used the commissioning ceremony to lash out at those he referred to as “detractors.” According to him, such Nigerians are deliberately ignoring the obvious, unprecedented development unfolding across the nation’s capital.
“If you want to die because we named the refurbished International Conference Centre after Mr. President, go and die. I have land to bury you! Yes, all of you!” he said to a rousing cheer from supporters.
He continued: “If you cannot commend someone who has done well for the country, then the problem is yours. This is not about petty politics. We’re focused on real development, not social media noise.”
Wike acknowledged that criticism is part of politics but warned against what he called dishonest, agenda-driven commentary.
“Yes, we are politicians and criticism is part of the game. But that doesn’t mean you should lie or pretend not to see what is obvious. If God gave you eyes and you still choose not to see, then remain blind. It’s your choice,” he said.
He took particular aim at critics of the recently renovated International Conference Centre, (ICC) challenging them to compare the cost and value of infrastructure in 1991 with today’s realities.
The recent renaming of the ICC after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, drew widespread condemnation from many Nigerians who described it as palying to the gallery. Many also questioned the N39bn used to renovate an edifice that was not totally brought down or rebuilt from the scratch while the original sum spent by the Ibrahim Babangida regime to build it was less than N300m.