Abuja Insecurity: Senator Kingibe laments inaccessibility of Wike to FTC lawmakers
The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Sen. Ireti Kingibe, says she has not been able to have any conversation on the lingering insecurity in Abuja with Mr Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister.
Kingibe said there is a big disconnect between elected officials of the FCT and Wike, who is the first southerner to be appointed as the administrator of the federal capital territory since its creation.
Speaking on the rising spate of insecurity in Abuja on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Sunday, January 21, 2024, stressed the need for the FCT minister to collaborate with her and other elected officials representing the people of the FCT in the National Assembly.
“I must say part of the problem we are having is a big disconnect between the minister of the FCT and the elected officials. I’ll be specific The House of Reps member and myself. The truth of the matter is that the Minister is new to the territory. We are the ones who have historical knowledge of the whole area, and it is imperative that we work together.”
Kingibe said she has made several attempts to speak to Wike but the minister won’t return her calls or respond to her messages.
The lawmaker noted that because she’s the highest elected official in the FCT, she is the one people bring their complaints, even though Wike is the one in charge of the security of the FCT.
She said, “I‘ve never met the minister except when he came for appropriation. I have reached out to him several times. The Minister for some reason thinks Senator Philip Aduda is still the senator of the FCT. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
“So, I have prepared that when I go back this time, I’m going to bombard the minister with letters since obviously, just talking to him on the phone and sending messages, I have WhatsApp messages, everything I’ve sent to him averaging one or two letters. I don’t get the response. I am the highest elected official in the FCT accountable to the people.”
According to her, she has also tried speaking with security agencies to know the plans to weed criminality in Abuja and said security agencies admitted that they are well funded but dismissed reports about kidnapping in the FCT.
