In a scene that could be dubbed “Presidential Lite,” Room 301 of the Nigerian Senate transformed into a mini-Aso Rock last Wednesday.
The man of the moment? Nyesom Wike, FCT minister, who didn’t just walk in, he arrived, exuding the aura of a man either auditioning for higher office or quietly rehearsing for it.
Clad in his trademark fedora, Wike took his seat like a monarch presiding over a realm of roads, flyovers, and freshly planted flowers, his realm, to be exact, worth a proposed ₦1.78 trillion. Forget the usual budget defence routine, this was a coronation.
Before Wike even entered, Room 301 had become the hottest venue in Abuja. Senators from both chambers abandoned other meetings like guests chasing after wedding jollof.
The minister wasted no time outlining his empire’s blueprint: “Out of the ₦1.78 trillion budget, ₦1.28 trillion, representing 72.3%, is earmarked for capital projects, while ₦494.1 billion will go to recurrent expenditure,” Wike announced.
Projects span from city centre dualisations to rural roads in Kwali.
He listed works in Guzape, Maitama, Wuye, Kuje, and more—his domain clearly a construction site in progress.
Committee or Campaign Rally?
Senators heaped praises like confetti.
“What FCT has presented is one of the best budgets so far,” said Senator Ibrahim Bomai, chair of the FCT Committee.
“The ₦608 billion projected IGR is a significant improvement.”
Senator Abdul Ningi gushed that Abuja was beginning to resemble Johannesburg and Cairo.
Osita Izunaso, senator representing Imo West, commended the FCT budget, noting the reduction in personnel costs to free up more funds for capital projects.
“People (ministries, departments, and agencies) come here, and they increase the personnel cost, but you have reduced the personnel cost in the 2025 proposed budget by N21 billion from the amount allocated in 2024,” he said.
“Secondly, you have more capital expenditure than recurrent expenditure. This is commendable.”
Adams Oshiomhole called Wike “one of the most performing ministers.” And even Senator Ireti Kingibe, Wike’s political rival, gave her blessing, albeit with a footnote.
“The budget is well presented,” Kingibe said. “But I think some issues, especially IDPs, need to be discussed in camera. Still, I’ve asked my colleagues to pass the budget as is.”
Ndume’s ‘Beggars’ Gospel
Senator Ali Ndume took the floor for a characteristically blunt intervention.
“My friend told me Wike is doing fine. I said no, it is the Senate doing fine because without our approvals, he can’t perform,” Ndume said, drawing laughter.
But he pivoted quickly to security and social concerns.
“Instead of the police causing ghost law at 4 pm, let’s introduce picketing station officers every 200 meters at night. And those beggars roaming Abuja? Don’t arrest them; create camps, feed them, train them, give them a way off the streets. That’s what Kano did in the ‘70s.”
Wike wasn’t having it.
“These people are not Abuja indigents,” he replied firmly. “They come from everywhere, believing they can just beg.
“We don’t have the capacity to build and manage such camps. Abuja is not like a state; it’s the Federal Capital Territory, where the president resides.
“We must work in synergy with national security agencies. It’s not as easy as people think.”
On health, Wike acknowledged gaps.
“Asokoro District Hospital’s MRI machine? We’ve already approved emergency procurement,” he said.
“But again, you must understand, the FCT budget for 2024 ends in June. We’re doing the best we can within a limited structure.”
All Hail ‘His Excellency’
The mood in the room? Less legislative scrutiny, more fan meet-and-greet.
Lawmakers vied for Wike’s attention like loyal courtiers. One even tried to hand over a pile of documents mid-session
Others followed him down the hallway, into the elevator, memo in one hand, hope in the other.
The only committee that typically commands this level of obsession is the Appropriations Committee, where money flows like the
River Niger and attendance is “by fire by force.”
But for one day, Wike and the FCT stole the show.
Critics, of course, have raised valid concerns, like why health and agriculture received a paltry ₦17 billion and ₦14 billion respectively in the face of infrastructure gluttony.
But Wike is a man of cement, not clinics; of flyovers, not fertilisers.
As one senator declared, “This budget is the Wike Effect!” And truly, it was.
Because only Wike could make lawmakers forget their egos, cameras, and even their own constituencies, just to bask in his presence.
By the time he left, a trail of senators followed. Some clutching memos, others clutching dreams.
If this wasn’t a campaign stop in disguise, then Wike deserves an Oscar. Either way, one thing was clear: In Room 301, he wasn’t just the FCT Minister, he was the moment.
