*Tells Wike, ‘You’ve no executive powers as FCT minister’
By BASHIR ADEFAKA and OUR REPORTER, Abuja
“After the matter has been disposed of at the Supreme Court and if the same position is maintained, then we will agitate for a governor, three senators and other status of a state, but for now, let the matter remain as it is.”
The representative of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the Nigerian Senate, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has said that indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were aware of the September 6 ruling of Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) that the FCT is (37th) state of the Federation and, as such, cannot enjoy a special status.
She said, “After the matter has been disposed of at the Supreme Court and if the same position is maintained, then we will agitate for a governor, three senators and other status of a state, but for now, let the matter remain as it is.”
She said this while also warning the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, over the way he carries himself in the office he currently occupies because, according to her, he has no executive powers being there.
The Senator said, as such, the former Governor of Rivers State must operate under the legislative guidance of the National Assembly.
Kingibe also faulted the recent appointment and inauguration of the mandate secretaries of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) by Wike, saying they were meant to be screened by the federal legislature.
According to her, the National Assembly would serve the legislative duties to the FCTA as the state Houses of Assembly do to the state governments, adding that as state assemblies were to the states, so was the FCTA to the National Assembly.
Addressing a press conference, she said, “You also have to remember that the minister of the FCT – I’m not sure we have had a former governor as minister, I think we have had one. Some (former) governors may think that as FCT minister… the minister does not have executive powers. He works hand-in-hand with the National Assembly and the president to administer FCT.”
Faulting the appointment of the mandate secretaries, who were recently sworn in by Wike, she said, “the National Assembly has the duties to screen them as the state houses of assembly usually screen the state commissioners before they would be sworn in.
She further faulted the appointment of members of the mandate secretaries from outside the FCT, stating that recently she engaged one of such mandate secretaries in a private discussion and to her chagrin that the mandate secretary did not know where Kwali, one of the area council of the FCT, is located.
Kingibe said Wike was new to the FCT and, therefore, needed to be guided to discharge his duties as the FCT Minister.
Dwelling on her relationship with Wike, Senator Kingibe said, “You must remember that the minister and I have different goals. I was elected by the people, so, I’m answerable to you the people of the FCT, he is not. But working together, I hope we can merge our interests.
“I cannot force myself on the minister. You have to remember that and the senate is in recess. I am a lawmaker. I have not been around. So, they are not approving anything, you cannot get approval from a house that is not sitting.
“Yesterday night, the election tribunal affirmed my election as duly elected senator of the federal capital territory. I feel a great sense of relief that I can now start facing the work the people of the FCT elected me to do. First, I would like to thank the best legal team, the best lawyers anybody could have. I’m really blessed to have had them
“I have been engrossed in my case and the minister is new. We have not met. We spoke for the first time today (Tuesday) when he called to congratulate me and we assured each other that we would work together.”
Speaking on threats of demolitions in the FCT, Senator Kingibe said, “For one thing, I’m not telling you that there would not be demolitions. There are many problems within the FCT. Look at the flooding taking place in FCT, why? Houses are being built on flood channels, permission are being given to people to build estates on flood plains. There are so many things that we need to fix.”
Citing the building on the green areas and water ways, using the Trademore estate as an example, she said such would not be allowed to continue, but added that the welfare and interest of the people in the FCT would be protected.
