Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom
Wike, has fired back at Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party
presidential candidate, over his criticism of the poor state of public schools
in Abuja.
Obi, during a visit to LEA Primary School, Kapwa,
earlier in the week, had described the condition of the school as a “national
disgrace” and a reflection of Nigeria’s weak commitment to education.
Responding on Thursday at the inauguration of newly
constructed roads in the FCT, Wike accused Obi of playing politics ahead
of the 2027 general elections.
“Mr Peter Obi, we just came into office two years ago.
We haven’t even spent four years. But you — you were governor for eight years.
If I were you, I’d keep quiet. Enough is enough,”
Wike said.
The minister also mocked Obi’s tradition of marking
birthdays in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, saying such
gestures do not prove patriotism or leadership capacity.
“You can’t become president of Nigeria just by going
to IDP camps for birthday celebrations. Who is interested in that? Doing your
birthday in an IDP camp doesn’t mean you love Nigeria,”
he said.
“When you were governor in Anambra, why didn’t you
celebrate birthdays in IDP camps? Now that you want to be president, every
birthday is with the less privileged. Who are you trying to deceive?”
Wike pledged to showcase ongoing efforts to
improve public school infrastructure in the FCT by next week, insisting
his administration is already addressing the issues Obi raised.
He accused the former governor of engaging in
propaganda, warning that not everything should be politicised.
“He will continue to contest on social media, but not
as President of Nigeria,” Wike added, dismissing Obi’s political ambitions.
As of the time of this report, Peter Obi had not
publicly responded to the minister’s remarks.
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