Waste management has broken down in Abuja, Tinubu’s aide tells Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has been urged to urgently address the issue of waste in Abuja to avert public health crisis. 

Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, gave this advice on Friday morning via a post on his official X account.

“My own Matter of Particular Concern (MPC) is the state of waste management and disposal in Abuja. Something has certainly broken with waste management and collection in Abuja that requires urgent fixing,” Ajayi said. 

“Refuse is taking over the city. Minister Wike should pay immediate attention to this. We salute his work in expanding road infrastructure and restarting many abandoned road projects and bridges. His achievements are very visible in this regard. 

“The Minister must now avert public health crisis with heaps of refuse and odious stench taking over public spaces.”

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has tasked President Bola Tinubu to compel Wike to apologise for using uncomplimentary comments against a serving naval officer, A. M. Yerima, over a disputed piece of land in Abuja.

While saying that the minister was lucky not to have been shot during his confrontation with the soldier, the senior lawyer, however, stressed that both parties erred in law.

This is even as he faulted the Federal Government’s move to have former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria. 

Falana spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the opening of the Legal Year of the Faculty of Law, University of Abuja. The event was organised by the Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN), UNIABUJA Chapter.

Speaking on the face-off between the FCT Minister and his altercation with a military officer on a property belonging to an ex-Chief of Naval Staff, the learned silk faulted both parties for taking the law into their hands.

He stated that although Wike was carrying out his statutory responsibilities as enshrined in Section 11 of the Land Use Act, his failure to exercise emotional intelligence and his use of derogatory language toward the military officer gave him away.

Falana cited a case in Ghana where a minister had to apologise for making uncomplimentary remarks about a taxi driver, emphasising the importance of dignity and respect.

“On no ground should a minister force himself and abuse the military officer. No minister has the power to call any Nigerian a fool. Mr President should compel the minister to apologise. He was lucky he was not shot.

“The military officer contravened the law by preventing the minister from doing his legal duty. The officer engaged in illegal duty to guide the land of a private person. 

“So when he said he was acting on superior orders, those orders are illegal. But the minister went off track. Even the President can’t call any Nigerian a fool,” Falana said.

He said Nigerians are impressed that even in the heat of provocation, the officer did not lose his patience.