Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has challenged Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike to disclose the costs and funding sources of his televised media engagements.
Ibe made the demand in a post on X on Tuesday, questioning the cost of a recent media parley featuring Wike that was broadcast by several television and radio stations.
He estimated that broadcasting the programme across eight stations for two hours, at a rate of between ₦10m and ₦20m per station per hour, could cost between ₦160m and ₦320m per session.
Based on those estimates, Ibe calculated that 12 monthly sessions could amount to between ₦1.92bn and ₦3.84bn.
However, the figures were estimates provided by Ibe and have not been independently verified. His post did not include invoices or documentary evidence establishing the actual broadcast costs or the source of funding.
“There is nothing wrong with a minister explaining his stewardship. But public resources must serve public purposes, not personal political battles,” Ibe wrote.
Ibe Questions Focus of Wike’s Media Engagements
Ibe argued that Wike’s media engagements should prioritise infrastructure development and public services in the FCT rather than political disagreements with opposition figures.
“FCT residents deserve to know how much is being spent on these broadcasts and how much airtime is devoted to FCT development, rather than Wike’s political disagreements with Atiku, Amaechi, Obi, ADC and NDC,” he wrote.
He called on the minister to publish the invoices for the broadcasts, identify the stations involved, disclose the amounts paid and specify the sources of funding and relevant budget lines.
“Minister Wike, publish the invoices. Identify the stations paid, the amounts, the funding sources and the relevant budget lines,” Ibe said.
He maintained that residents had a right to know whether public funds were used to finance the broadcasts and, if so, the budgetary provisions under which the expenditure was authorised.
“The FCT treasury is not Wike’s personal political broadcasting account. Public office is not a licence to convert public funds into private political publicity,” Ibe added.
Wike’s Media Parley Discussed Projects and 2027 Politics
The criticism followed Wike’s media engagement in Abuja, where the minister discussed projects undertaken by his administration and expressed political support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ibe’s post did not establish that public funds were used to pay for the broadcasts, nor did it provide independently verified evidence of the amounts spent.
The questions raised centre on the cost of the media engagements, the source of any payments and whether the expenditure, if publicly funded, was properly authorised and accounted for.
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