By Eunice Orike
Minister of the federal capital territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that some civil servants are unhappy with his administration because he stopped what he described as wasteful government spending and redirected the money to infrastructure projects.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja, Wike said he had refused to approve expensive foreign trips and conferences, insisting that such funds should be used for projects that directly improve the lives of residents.
According to him, resources that were previously spent on overseas conferences are now being invested in road construction and other infrastructure across the FCT.
“The reason some FCT workers don’t like me is simple, I use the resources and funds to build infrastructure instead of sharing the money among ourselves. They don’t like development, they are interested in their bank accounts,” the minister said.
Wike questioned the value of sending government officials abroad for conferences on land administration when similar lessons could be learnt within Nigeria.
“We waste our resources on frivolities. You expect me to approve money for people to travel to America for a conference on land administration. What is the need? Go to Lagos or Port Harcourt, study how their systems work or where they failed and compare them with what we have here,” he said.
He added that he would not approve N20 million for a one-week conference in the United States when the money could be used for projects that benefit the public.
“How do you expect me to approve N20 million for someone to spend one week in America for a land administration conference? I won’t do that,” he said.
The minister also said he changed the FCT’s budget structure after taking office by giving more priority to capital projects.
According to him, before his appointment, about 65 per cent of the FCT budget was spent on recurrent expenditure, leaving only a small portion for development.
“I came in and said no. About 70 per cent of our budget should go to capital projects, while 30 per cent should be for recurrent expenditure. That is how development can take place,” he said.
Wike alleged that some official conferences had become avenues for diverting public funds, saying he preferred to invest such money in infrastructure that residents could see and benefit from.
“Some people say conferences are for corruption, I ask, conferences to do what? These are ways government funds are diverted. I would rather put that money into building roads so that the people can enjoy the benefits,” he said.
He maintained that his spending reforms explain why he believes he is unpopular among some civil servants.
“If you ask people today which minister civil servants don’t like, they will mention me. The reason is simple, the money that used to go into conferences is now being used to build roads for the people,” Wike added.
