On Friday, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, warned that former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar would sell Nigeria if elected president, during a Rainbow Coalition town‑hall in Asari‑Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. Speaking to stakeholders, Wike criticised Atiku’s repeated presidential bids and urged Nigerians to demand accountability over the fate of state‑owned companies that were sold during the former vice‑president’s eight‑year tenure.
Wike recalled that Atiku was the chief executive of the privatisation programme under President Olusegun Obasanjo. “He sold assets belonging to Nigeria. Now ask him what happened to all the government companies that he sold,” the minister said, questioning the outcome of those sales and suggesting that Atiku’s ambition could expose the country to further asset disposals.
“He will sell Nigeria to recover all what he has spent since he has been contesting for President,” Wike warned, calling the former vice‑president a “political gambler” whose promises he said could change from morning to afternoon. He urged citizens not to place their destiny in the hands of a candidate he described as unreliable.
Shifting focus to the current administration, Wike defended President Bola Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidy. He said the policy, though initially painful, had increased revenue for the federal, state and local governments, enabling them to pay workers’ salaries and settle pension liabilities. He cited the absence of prolonged Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes over the past three years as evidence of improved stability.
Wike urged Nigerians to exercise patience, insisting that the reforms would yield long‑term benefits. He concluded that the Tinubu administration deserved time to consolidate its policies and to assess its performance against the resources now available to sub‑national governments.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
