ABUJA, Nigeria — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended his personal wealth and lifestyle, stating that his affluence, including the ownership of a Rolls Royce, did not originate from public office but from a comfortable family background.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Wike responded to criticisms from his political rival and predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, who recently questioned how Wike could afford such a luxury car while holding public office.
Amaechi described the Rolls Royce as inconsistent with modest public service.
Wike, however, dismissed the suggestion as baseless, asserting that his wealth is neither ill-gotten nor hidden.
“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,” Wike said.
“As a student, I was using a Mercedes Benz.”
He categorically denied claims that the Rolls Royce was gifted to him by a contractor.
“I have a Rolls Royce. Nobody gave it to me. I bought it for myself,” he said.
Wike acknowledged his comfort with money but rejected any implication of corruption.
“I like money. Nobody can do without money. You cannot say because I said I need money to solve problems, therefore I am 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,” he stated.
The minister went on to accuse Amaechi of hypocrisy, alleging that the former Minister of Transportation lives in opulence while posturing as modest.
“You cannot claim to be a modest man when you own mansions in GRA and prime locations in Abuja,” Wike said.
“I will tell you his house in Guzape, where I live. You cannot be a poor man and have all these properties. His house is in GRA.”
Wike also claimed Amaechi accepted gifts from contractors during his time in office — a practice Wike described as bribery — and accused him of bitterness and envy.
“Someone said I was given a Rolls Royce by a contractor. That is a lie. That is what he did, not me. That is why he is angry,” Wike said.
“He took a car from someone doing a job for him. That is bribery, not what I did.”
He further dismissed Amaechi’s assertion that he was uninterested in money.
“When a man comes to the public to say, ‘I do not like money,’ you know he is a big liar because he needs money to solve his problems,” Wike said.
Wike highlighted the differences in their upbringing, saying his own background afforded him more financial stability and exposure.
“I am not a bush man. I am from Obio Akpor LGA. If you go to Ikwerre Road, my father is one of the few people who had duplexes there,” he said.
“Not too rich, but not from the level Amaechi came from. You cannot compare where I came from with where others came from. We are not on the same level.”
Wike concluded by noting that no court of law has found him guilty of corruption.
“When you use the word corrupt, no court has found me guilty of corruption,” he added.
The latest exchange marks another heated chapter in the long-running political rivalry between the two former governors of Rivers State, both of whom are prominent figures in Nigeria’s political landscape.
