Wike faces backlash as ex-COAS Buratai says FCT minister ‘disrespected the authority’
Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), may have misstepped during his recent enforcement visit to a contested area in Abuja on Tuesday, November 11, where he confronted a soldier in uniform.
Wike was seen in a viral video posted on social media calling the officer unprintable names, development, former Chief of Army Staff, Rtd Major General Tukur Buratai, noted “can not be dismissed as political theatre” and strongly condemned the minister’s action.
In a Facebook post hours after the incident, the former army boss noted that the “public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces” by the minister went beyond ordinary misconduct, but was a potential threat to the integrity of the institution and national security.
Buratai speaks on Wike’s public outburst
According to Buratai, Wike’s verbal assault on the military officer who was in uniform was purely “profound indiscipline”, which was purely against Nigeria’s “command and control structure.”
He explained that it is a direct disrespect to the “Commander-in-Chief”, which is President Bola Tinubu. The former COAS went on to note that it would remain a wound on the morale of everyone serving the country, and it went against every pillar of discipline, which was the representation of the security apparatus of the country.
The statement reads in part: “This can not be dismissed as political theatre. It is a reckless endangerment of national order. This action by Wike is clearly an indication of undermining the federal government’s authority.”
Buratai lists those Wike should apologise to
The former COAS then asked the minister to immediately tender a public and unequivocal apology to President Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces and the officer he verbally assaulted.
He warned that Nigeria’s security must always be prioritised and the integrity of the armed forces must be respected.
Wike’s action against the military officer has been generating reactions from concerned Nigerians, and many are of the view that the minister has gone too far on the matter.
He has been sending warnings to landowners in Abuja to follow due processes in their dealings and urged them to pay up their dues. The development is one of his controversial events in recent times.
