Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has come out hard at critics who slammed him for taking his sons along on official and foreign trips, declaring that he owes no one an explanation.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Wike dismissed the outrage as pure hypocrisy, insisting his sons have every right to accompany him wherever he goes — official or not.
“What law says that my sons shouldn’t travel? Let the FCT say where they paid ₦1,” he fired back.
The minister said his sons, both master’s degree holders, were not freeloaders but young men learning about governance and leadership through exposure.
“What official matter? Did they sign any document? It doesn’t need to be a personal trip. What’s wrong? So, I can travel with anybody from the FCT. I can travel with anybody in Nigeria. I have that right. Oh, come on, they have to know how Nigeria is. They have to learn about government,” he declared.
When pressed on whether he was grooming them for politics, Wike scoffed at the idea.
“No, that’s not correct. My first son is a lawyer. He said, ‘No, I’m not going to practise. I want to be a farmer.’ I said, ‘What do you mean by this?’ He said, ‘No, this is what I want to do.’ I said, ‘Okay’. What do you do? They’ve gone for training in Spain. They’ve gone for training in Lisbon. My second son finished from King’s College — a master’s degree in Economics. He said he wants to be in real estate.”
Wike went on to boast that his children have never given him trouble, saying their good behaviour gives him peace of mind.
“I’m so happy that I have children who have given me comfort, who have not given me problems. Assuming they were somewhere smoking. You would have said, ‘Oh, look at these children now. Who are they? I will not travel with my enemy’s children,” he said with a laugh.
The minister has recently been seen with his sons at high-profile functions, including project commissions in the FCT and a Dubai summit, the latter eliciting criticism from Nigerians online.
But as far as Wike is concerned, the matter is closed. His message to critics? Mind your business.
