Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to disclose the amount of public funds spent on his media chats and identify the sources of funding.
Ibe made the call in a post on X on Tuesday, following Wike’s latest media engagement, which was broadcast live by several television and radio stations.
He questioned the cost of the broadcast, urging the minister to publish invoices showing payments to participating stations, funding sources and the relevant budget lines.
Ibe listed at least eight outlets that aired the session: Arise Television, Channels Television, TVC, News Central, AIT, JDK, Aso TV and Radio, and ADBN.
Estimating airtime costs at between ₦10m and ₦20m per station per hour, he said a two-hour broadcast across eight stations could cost between ₦160m and ₦320m.
He further estimated that holding similar sessions monthly for a year could amount to between ₦1.92bn and ₦3.84bn.
“FCT residents deserve to know how much is being spent on these broadcasts and how much airtime is devoted to FCT development, rather than Wike’s political disagreements with Atiku, Amaechi, Obi, ADC and NDC,” Ibe wrote.
While acknowledging that Wike had the right to explain his performance as minister, the former vice-president’s aide argued that public resources should be directed towards issues that benefit residents of the territory.
“There is nothing wrong with a minister explaining his stewardship. But public resources must serve public purposes, not personal political battles,” he said.
Ibe called on Wike to identify the stations paid, disclose the amounts involved and explain the budgetary provisions under which the broadcasts were funded.
He also urged the minister to devote more attention during his media engagements to pressing challenges in the FCT, including roads, water supply, schools, hospitals, sanitation and security.
“Atiku and Amaechi are not infrastructure projects. ADC and NDC are not departments of the FCT Administration,” he said.
Ibe concluded by warning against the use of public funds for what he described as personal political publicity.
“The FCT treasury is not Wike’s personal political broadcasting account. Public office is not a licence to convert public funds into private political publicity,” he wrote.
The cost figures cited by Ibe were estimates; the report did not establish the actual amount spent on the broadcast.
