· I do not determine foreign relations – Minister
By Sarah NEGEDU
October may be considered Nyesom Wike’s baptism of fire since his appointment as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, following the heavy vitriol that greeted some of his official meetings with dignitaries during the month.
While the minister may not be stranger to criticisms due to some of his controversial decisions he has taken since he assumed office, Wike has had to give clarification on his October 3 meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria.
He dismissed as baseless and untrue, insinuations that he expressed support for Israel against Palestinians.
The minister, at a recent meeting with the leadership of the Abuja National Mosque Management Board, said he had no constitutional powers to determine Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with other countries, as such powers resides absolutely with President Bola Tinubu.
He said; “I have heard from various social media platforms that we had a meeting that we are doing this and that with Israel. I am here acting on delegation of powers on behalf of Mr. President.
“I cannot determine a relationship between a country and another country. So, it is difficult for anybody to say I am doing this, I am doing that.
“Any foreign body that wants to have anything to do with Nigeria, it is the Minister of Foreign Affairs who will write to me and state that these people want to see me; it is simple. And when they come, it is in my position to say look, we want to partner with you. Take for instance, you are going into agriculture and we want to partner, then we tell you where exactly.”
The minister further clarified that his meeting with the Israeli Ambassador was purely for agricultural partnership in the interest of farmers in the FCT.
According him, “In Abuja here, most of them have cultural farms and we say look, it is our own desire to help anybody who wants to invest in Abuja particularly in agriculture in order to employ our people and in order to get more revenue. It has nothing to do with another country. It doesn’t work that way.
“When our people begin to now think different angles and people may not understand that it is not correct. So I will like to use this opportunity to say look we have to talk to our people. In fact we must live harmoniously. We must live together to make sure that development is promoted”, Wike stated.
The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, had on Tuesday, October 3, visited the FCT minister, days before the Hamas’ attack on Israel and the continued bombardment by the Jewish nation.
In spite of the gap between the visit and the eruption of conflict between the group and Israel, some elements had accused Wike of offering Nigeria’s support to Israel.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Abuja National Mosque Management Board had also had to speak in defence of the Minister, over allegations of a planned demolition of the Central Mosque in Abuja.
The board, led by its chairman, the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, had earlier in the week, visited the FCT minister to seek clarification on the status of its plots, 63 and 99, in the wake of the administration’s drive to revoke its all undeveloped plots.
Wike, used the opportunity of the meeting to clarify the controversies around the alleged demolition of a mosque in Rivers state while he served as governor of the state.
He said the allegation was a political gimmick used by his opponents, as no Mosque was demolished during his tenure as governor.
However, the minister’s explanation was wrongly reported on some media platforms, as an order to demolish part of the National Mosque.
Director, Finance and Administration of the Abuja National Mosque Management Board, Amb. Haliu Shuaib, told journalists at a media briefing, that the report was the handiwork of conflict merchants who were bent on creating religious tension in the country.
He urged Muslim faithful to disregard the social media report that the FCT minister had approved a partial demolition of the worship centre, describing the report as fake and baseless.
Shuaib, said, “the Mosque is, hereby, debunking the news of partial demolition of the National Mosque and wishes to set the records straight”.
