Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, may be dealing with a spiritual issue, following his comments about not owning any houses despite years in public office.
Wike made this statement during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday night. He was reacting to Amaechi’s claim that he does not have houses because he is not corrupt. Wike disagreed strongly with this and questioned how someone who served as Speaker, Governor, and Minister for several years could end up without owning property.
“He said I have houses. Amaechi was Speaker for eight years, Governor for eight years, and Minister for eight years, and he does not have houses? Then he has a spiritual problem,” Wike said during the interview.
Wike also said that Amaechi does in fact own a house in Abuja, one that an average citizen could never afford. He added that the house is located in Guzape, the same area where he lives. According to him, the property is so well-built that destroying it would require a strong weapon.
“I will tell you about his house in Guzape here where I live. You need a bunker to destroy that house,” he said. “I’m trying to show the quality, I’m not saying I would destroy the house. You can’t be a poor man and have such a house.”
He went further to question Amaechi’s credibility, saying the former minister is deceiving Nigerians by pretending to live a modest life. “Nigerians should know the kind of characters deceiving them every day, pretending,” Wike noted.
In addition, Wike made comments about a house allegedly owned by Amaechi in Port Harcourt’s Old GRA. He questioned who built the property and brought up allegations involving Amaechi’s wife.
“He said he does not have this and that, where is his house? It’s in old GRA. Who built it? I heard him say NPA and NIMASA have not paid contractors, yes, because they have not paid his wife, who is a contractor.”
