The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed an allegation by Senator Ireti Kingibe that the FCT Administration obtained loans for capital projects without the approval of the National Assembly.
Wike spoke in Abuja on Tuesday after inspecting some ongoing projects in the territory.
He questioned how any government official could secure a loan without following the required legislative process, stressing that borrowing for capital projects would be captured in the budget and subjected to consideration by the National Assembly.
“That’s why she’s not going back to the Senate. Do non-lawyers know where we can go and take a loan without the approval of the National Assembly?
“If you want to take a loan, you will include it in the budget. It is part of the budget that we are going to collect a loan to execute some projects in the FCT,” he said.
The minister also argued that the controversy over the alleged loan was linked to the scale of infrastructure development being undertaken across Abuja.
“I thought she criticised that I’m doing nothing. So now her problem is that I took a loan,” Wike said.
He maintained that the key issue should be whether funds allocated or borrowed for infrastructure were being used to meet the needs of residents.
“Assuming I took a loan, our concern should have been: are we applying the loan to fulfil the interest of residents?” he asked.
Wike further criticised Kingibe’s political position, saying residents of the FCT had made their choice ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said he would continue to support President Bola Tinubu and former FCT senator Philip Aduda.
The minister’s comments followed Kingibe’s allegation that the FCT Administration had obtained loans for capital projects without the statutory approval of the National Assembly.
