The Senior Special Assistant to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, says his principal can’t be intimidated or blackmailed.
According to him, Wike is the kind of person who always speaks his mind on issues regardless of who gets affected.
Olayinka, who spoke during an interview with Punch, which was published on Monday, said there are similarities in personality between Wike and his former boss, ex-Ekiti Governor, Ayo Fayose.
“If you look at the two personalities, I used to tell my boss, Ayo Fayose, that there is only a thin line of difference between him and Wike. They are not too different. They are people who speak their mind, not minding who is affected. They are bold and courageous to act on issues of national importance. They are not the kind of persons you can intimidate or blackmail to submission. The two of them are almost the same, so, managing the publicity of the FCT minister is almost like managing that of Fayose,” he said.
On the issues of land revocations and demolitions in Abuja being carried out by the Wike administration, Olayinka said those who have done the right thing and complied with government requirements have nothing to fear.
He added that Wike is only following due process, and that is why even his political allies, such as former Governor Samuel Ortom, were also included in the list of Abuja land owners who would have their allocations revoked except they pay the required government fees within the specified time.
“If you get your land normally and you have made the necessary payments, nobody will revoke your land. Nobody will revoke your allocation. In the last two weeks, advertisements were placed in about 10 major newspapers, listing 9,532 Nigerians that got land allocations not five years, not 10 years, but over 20 years ago that have not made necessary payments. The advertisement was made and the condition was that, ‘go and pay, if you don’t pay at a certain period, your land will be revoked and when your land is revoked, it is final’. Among the people affected by that is former governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom. Everybody knows how close Samuel Ortom is to Wike. They are friends, they are political allies, but his name was published. Wike did not say they should remove Ortom’s name because Ortom is his friend.”
“The problem with the people is that we now have a minister who is not looking at people’s faces, or operating based on friendship, family or anything. He is saying that ‘do the right thing and be free’. Is that too difficult to understand? And I can tell you that it is difficult for them because this is Nigeria where people believe it is the government. The government will do a micro-credit scheme, and people will obtain loans yet refuse to pay. When you collect a government loan and you refuse to pay it back, how will other people benefit from other kinds of loans? That is what has been happening in this country and some people are coming to say this cannot continue. I understand too that there will be resistance; that is what we are seeing,” the media aide submitted.