The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has explained why he believes many civil servants in the FCT are unhappy with his leadership, saying his decision to stop what he described as wasteful government spending has affected people who benefited from the old system.
He made the remarks on Thursday during his monthly media briefing in Abuja while discussing the administration’s spending priorities.
Wike said one of the major changes introduced since he assumed office was redirecting money previously used for activities such as overseas conferences into infrastructure projects, especially road construction. According to him, he does not support spending large amounts of public funds on foreign trips when similar knowledge can be obtained within Nigeria.
The minister said government officials had in the past sought approval for expensive international conferences on issues such as land administration, but he believed such requests did not offer enough value to justify the cost. He explained that visiting places like Lagos or Port Harcourt to study local systems would be a more practical and cheaper option.
He also said he would not approve millions of naira for week-long foreign conferences because he believes those funds should instead be invested in projects that directly improve the lives of residents.
Wike disclosed that before he became FCT minister, about 65 per cent of the territory’s budget was allocated to recurrent expenditure, leaving a smaller share for development projects. He said his administration changed the pattern by increasing capital expenditure to 70 per cent while reducing recurrent spending to 30 per cent.
According to the minister, many conference-related expenses created opportunities for public funds to be misused. He said redirecting those resources into road construction and other infrastructure projects has produced visible results for people living in the Federal Capital Territory.
Wike stated that this policy is one of the reasons he is not popular among many civil servants, as some workers lost access to benefits they previously enjoyed through conference-related spending.
Since taking office in August 2023 after his appointment by President Bola Tinubu, Wike has focused on road rehabilitation, urban renewal, land administration reforms and improved service delivery across the FCT.
His policies, including the demolition of illegal structures and efforts to reduce recurrent spending in favour of capital projects, have continued to generate debate among residents and stakeholders.