WIKE DIDN’T AWARD ₦5B CONTRACT TO LOCAL CONTRACTORS, ₦15B ‘MINOR PROCUREMENT’ CLAIMS SUSPICIOUS

By: Wisdom Acka

Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has categorically denied awarding contracts worth ₦5 billion to local contractors under the current FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike,

This was disclosed in astatement made available to Abuja Digest by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, on Monday, 18th August, 2025.

The statement challenged any claimant to provide verifiable evidence of such approvals to the contrary.

According to him, “in December 2023, the Minister inherited an outstanding bill of approximately ₦10 billion from previous FCT Administrations, labeled as “Shopping” or Minor Procurement.

“Demonstrating commitment to resolving legacy debts, the Minister promptly approved and paid over ₦5 billion that same month. By January 2024, the remaining balance was cleared, thus settling the ₦10 billion obligation in full.

“However, three months later, a fresh bill of over ₦15 billion surfaced under the same “Minor Procurement” category, a development that raised serious concerns.”

This suspicious new bill, he stated, has made the Minister to demand clarification on two critical issues.

The issues are who authorized these contracts because the Wike-led FCT Administration did not approve such expenditures; and how N15 billion worth of projects were executed within three months without ministerial oversight.

“The figures have since fluctuated, from ₦15 billion to ₦8 billion, and now ₦5billion,” thereby deepening suspicions about the legitimacy of these claims.

The statement called on any contractor with valid evidence to come forward, saying the Minister insists: “Accountability is non-negotiable.”