Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike says he is unpopular with some civil servants because he has blocked what he describes as avenues for diversion of public funds. Wike makes the claim during his monthly media chat in Abuja, presenting fiscal discipline and infrastructure spending as the basis for his stance. He says previously diverted funds are now being redirected into productive projects, especially road construction. He also cites his refusal to approve funding requests for international conferences, including an example involving a proposed trip to the United States for a land administration conference. Wike argues that such requests represent waste or potential corruption and contrasts them with investing the money in roads that he says benefit residents.
According to Wike, before he took office, about 65% of the FCT budget went to recurrent expenditure. He says he reversed this allocation to prioritise capital expenditure, directing 70% to capital projects and 30% to recurrent spending. He adds that this policy is part of why some civil servants reportedly dislike him.
