Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has said he comes from a privileged background and did not need public office to afford luxury.
Gatekeepers News reports that Wike was responding to recent comments made by former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who questioned his source of wealth during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Amaechi had said that Wike’s ownership of a Rolls-Royce was incompatible with a career in public service.
Appearing on the same programme on Friday, Wike dismissed the remarks as baseless, attributing them to ignorance about his rich family background.
He said, “ My father was the manager of so many companies. I come from a rich background – not too rich like the Dangotes, but certainly not poor.”
“I didn’t come from the same background as Rotimi Amaechi. As a student, I was using a Mercedes-Benz.”
The minister firmly denied claims that the Rolls-Royce was a gift from a contractor, insisting he paid for it himself.
He said, “ I have a Rolls-Royce; nobody gave it to me — I bought it for myself.
Wike also accused Amaechi of hypocrisy, alleging that the former minister projects a modest lifestyle publicly while privately owning multiple luxurious properties.
He said, “You can’t claim to be a modest man when you own mansions in GRA and prime locations in Abuja.”
“I will tell you his house in Guzape, where I live. You can’t be a poor man and have all these properties; his house is in GRA.”
The minister further said Amaechi is bitter because he can no longer hide his past questionable dealings.
He said, “ But when a man comes to the public to say, ‘! don’t like money,’ you know he is a big liar because he needs money to solve his problems.”
Responding to a direct question about whether he is corrupt, Wike said there is no court ruling linking him to corruption.
He said, “When you use the word corrupt, no court has found me guilty of corruption.”
“I like money; nobody can do without money.
You can’t say because I said I need money to solve problems, therefore, l’m corrupt. No.”
“I need money to pay my children’s school fees. I need money for my family’s healthcare. Does that make me corrupt? No.”
Wike stressed the difference between their upbringing saying, “I’m not a bush man. I’m from Obio/Akpor LGA, if you go to Ikwerre Road, my father is one of the few people who had duplexes there. Not too rich, but not from the level Amaechi came from, no.”
“You cannot compare where I came from with where others (Amaechi) came from. We are not on the same level.”
