THE Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that no amount of blackmail or sponsored protests would distract him from delivering development to the people of Abuja.
Wike made this known during the Inauguration of Phase2 water project, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Mr Minister said he observed several media reports focusing on alleged debts owed to “local contractors,”.
He stressed that he would not be intimidated into paying claims that were never legitimately awarded.
“Let anybody who says I awarded them contracts bring the documents.
“Many of the so-called debts were generated by civil servants who sat in their offices awarding contracts of N10 million N15 million, or N20 million without ministerial approval.
“Now they want to blackmail the Minister into paying. Certainly, that will not happen. Nobody can intimidate me.
“This is corruption fighting back against my reforms, but I will defeat it,”he said.
Wike said that under his leadership, funds were being channeled into meaningful capital projects that impact the lives of residents, not frivolous recurrent expenses.
He disclosed that before his administration came on board, the FCT’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) stood at about N9 billion monthly, but has now risen to over N30 billion.
“If we were not prudent, how we have been able to fund the massive infrastructure we are commissioning today? Those protesting are not genuine contractors.
“Look at their faces, do they look like those who built the roads we are commissioning? They were sponsored by those who benefitted from past corruption,” Wike said.
The minister added that Abuja’s abandoned projects were a result of funds being diverted into unnecessary expenses like frequent foreign trips and inflated procurement of items such as computers.
“This is not a beauty contest. I am not here to be loved. I am here to work. Carry your love and go, I want results.
“The only love I want is for residents to feel the impact of governance: roads, schools, hospitals, water, and security. That is development,”he said.
