According to Punch, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has stirred yet another wave of controversy with his sharp-tongued remarks during the inauguration of the Left-hand Service Carriageway of the Outer Southern Expressway from Apo-Wasa on Friday. Addressing critics of the ongoing renovation projects in Abuja, particularly the International Conference Centre (ICC), Wike lashed out with both sarcastic jabs and stinging declarations.
He asserted that the ICC renovation was comprehensive, stating that everything in the center had been changed except the external block structure. According to him, those who continue to criticize the project simply “do not have good taste” and lack true patriotism. “If you love this country, you cannot criticize,” he declared, insisting the project’s cost had been affected by legitimate variations and current economic realities.
Wike dismissed attempts to downplay the project’s scope and criticized comparisons to the ICC’s original 1991 construction cost of N240 million, calling them outdated. He challenged his detractors to factor in the change in Nigeria’s exchange rate and inflation over the decades before making judgments.
Taking aim at Reuben Abati, former spokesperson to President Goodluck Jonathan, Wike accused him of failing to defend his former boss when it mattered most. “They were hitting your boss left, right and center. You couldn’t defend your boss. I am here. I will defend my boss,” Wike said emphatically.
But it was his final remarks that sent shockwaves across social media. In a controversial aside, he ridiculed detractors so bitter with government performance they wished themselves harm, saying, “If you want to die, I have a lot of land. I have land to give you where they will bury you. Africa’s population is too high. So if you want to die, you die.”
While some applauded the minister’s blunt defense of federal projects, others expressed concern over the combative tone and insensitive language, especially from a top government official.
