Former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Sector Reform, Dr Joe Abah, has called on the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to issue apologies for his conduct during a recent confrontation with a naval officer over a land dispute.
Minister's Conduct Below Standard
In a detailed post on his official X account, Dr Abah strongly criticized Minister Wike for what he described as conduct that fell below the standards expected of a Minister of the Government of Nigeria. The controversy stems from an incident where Wike engaged in a heated exchange with Lieutenant A.M Yerima of the Nigerian Navy regarding a piece of land in the Federal Capital Territory.
Dr Abah specifically condemned Wike's use of derogatory language toward the junior military officer, stating that the Minister was completely wrong to call the young officer a fool. He emphasized that as a public servant himself, Wike should maintain professional decorum when interacting with fellow public servants, regardless of their rank or position.
Multiple Apologies Required
The former Bureau of Public Sector Reform boss outlined that Minister Wike needs to offer apologies on multiple fronts. First, he should apologize directly to Lieutenant Yerima for the personal insult. Second, he owes an apology to President Bola Tinubu for behavior that reflects poorly on the administration. Third, he should apologize to the Nigerian public for setting a poor example of ministerial conduct.
However, Dr Abah did acknowledge that Wike was justified in challenging what he termed the impunity of deploying military officers to protect private property. He stated that if civilians were working on the land and FCDA officials came to stop them, the appropriate response should not involve military deployment to a private property.
Call for Presidential Sanctions
Dr Abah went further to demand that President Tinubu should sanction the military personnel who authorized the deployment of naval officers to the disputed land. As Commander-in-Chief, the President needs to address this misuse of military resources for civilian matters.
The former DG also offered guidance to the naval officer involved, noting that while following orders is part of military discipline, the officer should not have descended into the arena by making categorical statements about the completeness of paperwork. He agreed with Wike's position that determining the validity of documents falls outside the officer's responsibilities.
The incident, which occurred on November 13, 2025, has sparked significant public discussion about the proper conduct of public officials and the appropriate use of military personnel in civilian disputes. Dr Abah's intervention adds weight to calls for accountability and professionalism in government operations.
