The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended President Bola Tinubu against claims that his administration is unapproachable, insisting the president cannot personally attend to everyone.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Wike stressed that governance relies on teamwork and urged Nigerians to engage ministers and presidential advisers rather than expect direct access to the president.
“When you say Mr President is unapproachable, and the government is unapproachable, what do you call government?” Wike asked.
“I am the Minister in charge of the FCT, Mr Z is Minister of Interior, Mrs O is Minister of Trade, Investment and Industry. Must everybody reach Mr President? Is that how government works?
“If everybody in this country refuses to reach out to ministers or advisers and just wants to see Mr President, how many people can he attend to at a time? I am a minister; if you have a problem regarding activities in the FCT, have you tried to reach the FCT minister?”
Asked if the government was approachable, Wike replied, “Of course.”
His defence followed recent comments by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, who had described Tinubu and his administration as unapproachable.