Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has dismissed allegations that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, obtained loans to finance projects in Abuja without approval from the National Assembly.
Agbese, a Labour Party member representing a constituency in Benue State, said Wike had not breached any law in financing projects within the Federal Capital Territory. He described the minister as one of the most legislatively compliant public officials operating under the oversight of the National Assembly.
The lawmaker spoke with journalists in Abuja on Thursday while reacting to concerns raised by Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate, over alleged borrowings by the FCT Administration.
Kingibe had said she raised the issue with the Senate leadership, questioning how the FCT Administration could obtain loans without the minister appearing before the Senate to seek approval.
“I have never seen Wike come to the National Assembly and before the Senate to ask for approval of anything,” Kingibe said.
The senator explained that FCT budgets were presented through the appropriate Senate committee before being considered and approved by the chamber. She added that her concerns about the alleged borrowings emerged while reviewing information from the Debt Management Office covering August 2023 to March 2026.
Agbese, however, rejected the allegation, arguing that Wike could not unilaterally create a sovereign borrowing obligation outside established constitutional and administrative procedures.
According to the deputy spokesperson, the processes governing public borrowing involve the appropriate constitutional and administrative authorities. He said Wike had also consistently subjected the administration of the FCT to legislative scrutiny through budget presentations and engagements with relevant National Assembly committees.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
He further argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not, by itself, be interpreted as evidence of a breach of the law. The lawmaker linked the borrowing concerns to the scale of infrastructure development currently taking place across Abuja.
He cited road construction and rehabilitation, transportation infrastructure and other development projects as major areas of intervention by the FCT Administration.
Agbese maintained that using lawful borrowing to finance infrastructure was not an offence, stressing that the important consideration was whether the required approvals and procedures had been followed.
“Under our searchlight, the FCT Minister is one of the most legislatively compliant public servants. He has consistently engaged the National Assembly and subjected the activities of the FCT Administration to legislative scrutiny,” he said.
Agbese urged the legislature to approach its oversight responsibilities through documents, facts and established procedures rather than political allegations.
He said that where there were specific borrowing transactions believed to be unlawful, such transactions should be identified and the relevant authorities invited to provide the documentation governing them.
The lawmaker also cautioned against conflating the responsibilities of the FCT minister with those of the Federal Government and other institutions involved in public finance and debt management.
He said Wike’s administration should ultimately be assessed by examining the projects executed, the procedures followed in financing them and their measurable impact on the Federal Capital Territory.
