El-Rufai Did More for Abuja Than Wike – Ireti Kingibe

Senator Ireti Kingibe has stated that former FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai performed better than the current Minister, Nyesom Wike, during his tenure, despite the ongoing infrastructure projects under Wike’s leadership.

Speaking on Political Paradigm, a Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday, Kingibe criticized Wike for being disconnected from the everyday needs of Abuja residents. According to her, infrastructure alone does not define a successful minister.

She said, “If you ask any FCT person who has been the minister who has performed the most in the FCT, they will tell you El-Rufai. Why? El-Rufai built roads, he also responded to the needs of the people.”

Kingibe further argued that Wike’s administration has failed to deliver on basic essentials that directly affect the lives of common residents.
“El-Rufai was also the sort of minister when the people have a major problem, he did not take the senator to common people like me to say, ‘Oh, the place you have moved the abattoir to, there’s no infrastructure. They cannot go there. There’s no security, there’s no water, there’s no this.’ So being a successful minister isn’t just about infrastructure,” she said.

The senator emphasized that leadership in the FCT requires attentiveness and empathy:
“A minister must be receptive to the needs of the people to identify where the lapses are.”

In response, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to Minister Wike, dismissed Kingibe’s remarks as political antics aimed at distraction.

Olayinka, in a statement issued Tuesday, said:
“The Minister will not be distracted by the senator’s political shenanigans.”

He went further to accuse Kingibe of neglecting her responsibilities to her staff:
“She should stop being shameless and pay attention to the welfare of her legislative aides, many of whom have left as a result of non-payment of their salaries and entitlements for as long as six months.”