TheCable

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says he accepted to work as a minister of President Bola Tinubu because he has capacity and political will.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Wike said leadership is one of the problems confronting Nigeria.

The minister said upon assuming office, he discovered that a law establishing a civil service commission for the FCT had been enacted but remained unimplemented. He then brought this to Tinubu’s attention, and Tinubu approved its initiation.

“One of the problems in this country is leadership, so many people don’t want to take action. There is no action that you take that everybody will be [happy],” he said.

“In 2018, the national assembly passed a bill into law which was assented by the former Vice-President Osinbajo when he was acting as the president. [The law says] FCT should have a civil service commission. Everybody has been running away.

“Nobody wants to [implement it]. Nobody has the political will to implement it. Everybody is saying ‘if I’m the head of service, it will reduce my power’. No. It is about the institution.

“The minister will come and go, so also the head of service will come and go. If the national assembly passes a bill into law which is assented by Mr President, what is wrong in implementing that law?”

Wike added that no law is flawless, and revisions would only be considered once it is put into practice.