The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike has addressed concerns about the integrity of the judiciary in relation to his actions as a public official. He recounted an instance when Justice Mary Odili, during her tenure as chairman of the Body of Benchers, reached out to him regarding the poor state of the road leading to their office, citing inadequate lighting as a significant issue.
He explained that, as a lawyer and member of the Body of Benchers, he felt a responsibility to support the legal profession. He stated that he took it upon himself to facilitate improvements by approving the necessary work on the road. However, he emphasized that this action should not be misconstrued as an attempt to bribe the judiciary.
He said in an interview with Symfoni from 0:03, ‘When Justice Mary Odili was the chairman of the body of benchers, she wrote to me as the minister of FCT. And she said, ‘We have a problem, and that is the road to the Body of Benchers – the lights are not there, can you help us?’ As a lawyer and as a Body Bencher, since I have an opportunity to help a profession grow, I said, ‘Look, go and do the road.’ Does that also mean that I want to bribe the judiciary?”