The House of Representatives has dismissed claims that the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, secured loans for the FCT without obtaining the approval of the National Assembly.
Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Philip Agbese, said there was no evidence that Wike violated any law or circumvented established procedures in financing infrastructure projects and programmes in the nation’s capital.
Agbese, a Labour Party lawmaker representing Benue State, made the clarification while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
His comments followed allegations by Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory in the National Assembly, that the FCT Administration had accumulated debts without securing the necessary legislative approvals.
Kingibe had said she raised the issue with the Senate leadership after examining information obtained from the Debt Management Office covering the period from August 2023 to March 2026.
Speaking on Channels Television, the senator said she had not seen Wike appear before the Senate to seek approval for any loan.
“I have never seen Wike come to the National Assembly and before the Senate to ask for approval of anything,” Kingibe said.
She explained that FCT budgets were submitted through the relevant Senate committee before being considered and approved by the chamber, adding that her concerns over the territory’s debt profile were based on information contained in DMO documents.
But Agbese rejected the suggestion that Wike had borrowed funds behind the National Assembly or acted outside the law.
“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,” he said.
The lawmaker explained that public borrowing was subject to constitutional, statutory and administrative processes involving relevant government institutions, stressing that the FCT minister could not unilaterally create a sovereign borrowing obligation.
Agbese also said an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of illegal borrowing.
According to him, the scale of infrastructure development undertaken in Abuja since Wike assumed office had to be considered in assessing the territory’s finances.
He listed major road construction and rehabilitation, transportation infrastructure and other capital projects among the interventions undertaken by the FCT Administration.
“Borrowing for infrastructure development is not unlawful in itself, provided the prescribed approvals and procedures are followed,” Agbese said.
He added, “The critical issue is whether the required approvals and procedures have been followed.”
The Deputy House spokesperson further dismissed claims that Wike had operated without legislative oversight, saying the minister had consistently subjected the FCT Administration to scrutiny by the National Assembly.
“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,” Agbese said.
He urged lawmakers and other stakeholders raising concerns about public borrowing to identify specific transactions and rely on official records rather than general allegations.
Agbese said Kingibe and other interested parties could request relevant documents from the authorities if they had concerns about particular borrowing arrangements.
He also cautioned against conflating the responsibilities of the FCT minister with those of the Federal Government and other agencies involved in public borrowing and debt management.
The lawmaker maintained that Wike’s performance should be assessed alongside the projects executed, the processes followed and their impact on the nation’s capital, rather than solely on the basis of the FCT’s debt profile.
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