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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has refuted allegations that the construction of homes for judges in Abuja is intended to influence them for political purposes.
Speaking during a media chat on Wednesday, Wike clarified that the housing project is not his personal initiative but part of a welfare package designed by President Bola Tinubu to support judicial independence.
Wike insisted that he is simply fulfilling his role by implementing an already approved project.
Wike explained, “(Tinubu said) ‘Where are the judges living? They have no homes and are therefore open to political manipulation and for me, as a president who wants to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, judges must have their homes’.
“I am not Mr President; I am only lucky to be appointed as a minister under this administration and who is in the position to implement his policies. And Mr President said, look, this is what he wants; come up and see what we can do.
“It was approved by Mr President, sent to the National Assembly in the 2024 budget that there should be construction of judges and Justices quarters. That they should move judges from where they are renting houses, living among criminals.
“A policy anybody should commend Mr President, it is in the budget of 2024, appropriated by the National Assembly, assented to by Mr President which is a law. What is the problem? I am only the implementor, go and implement this.
“Federal Executive Council approved the contract and everything, it is not my policy, how will you now want to kill me that I am implementing what the Federal Government approved?”
Wike insisted that there is nothing wrong even if it was his idea to construct homes for judges, adding that he had done something similar as the governor of Rivers State.
The former Rivers State governor lamented the criticisms for this project instead of commendation, especially from those in the legal profession.
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