Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, has denied the news making the rounds on social and conventional media that his official car is a N300 million bullet-proof car.
Addressing a team of reporters on Wednesday in Abuja, the former Governor of Rivers State lambasted people on social media for spreading falsehoods about the nature of his official car.
“I have never approved any car contrary to the report, and I am not using an official bullet-proof car,” Wike said.
Earlier, during his address to the press, the FCT minister expressed his disappointment over the spread of unverifiable information that he believes could cause damage.
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He said, “You can see what is going on social media, like how I bought a bulletproof car of N300 million that I am using.”
Pointing to a car around, he asked reporters to hit their hands on a car believed to be his official car.
“I want you people to go and hit your hand there and see whether it is a treated car,” he said.
He urged the media to refrain from reporting things that are not true.
The former Rivers State Governor continued, “With all due respect, people should be careful not to destroy other people. When I came, the permanent secretary said they had a car for us and that the car we would use is this.
He said, “When I have cars as governor—yes—what do you expect? I am not using a bulletproof car as an FCT minister.
“So we should report the right thing and not destroy ourselves. I want you to take a look at that car and tell me whether it is a bulletproof car.”
Earlier on Wednesday, social media was abuzz with a supposed picture of an alleged bullet-proof car belonging to Wike.
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It was said that the car was valued at N300 million.
Since his appointment as the FCT minister, the former River State governor, known for his giant strides in infrastructure development, has been generating so much media attention.
The reasons are not far from his planned demolition of squatter settlements in the capital city and other major plans he hopes will restore the city’s original master plan.
A master plan, he believes, has been abandoned since Nasir El-Rufai left as the FCT minister.
Wike specifically said that 6,000 houses may be demolished as a way to make way for the restoration of the Abuja master plan. He also emphasised that those in the business of land speculation will likely lose their undeveloped lands, urging them to start developing them or stand the risk of losing them to the government.
Some Nigerians who took to Twitter, the social media microblogging application, have been commending Wike. Some said that since his appointment and warning to officials of the FCT ministry, Abuja has taken on a new look as most of the city street lights are now working.
