by George Ozalla
The National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, has called for a national apology to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, following the recent public altercation between the minister and a junior naval officer, Lt. A. M. Yerima, said to be acting on orders over a property under investigation by the FCT Administration.
Speaking with journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport on his way to Lagos, Ambassador Igali condemned what he described as the “glamourisation of grossly improper conduct” by the naval officer, allegedly acting on the instructions of a retired Service Chief. According to him, Chief Wike, as a member of the Federal Executive Council and direct representative of the President on all matters relating to the FCT, deserves full respect and courtesy in the discharge of his duties.
“Chief Wike, CON, without doubt one of the best performing ministers in this administration, deserves to be treated with much more respect and decorum,” the former Federal Permanent Secretary and diplomat said. He added that the behaviour of the officer amounted not only to an affront to Wike as a person but also to a public display of disdain for the office of the President, whose powers are constitutionally vested in the FCT Minister.
Ambassador Igali further maintained that the Nigerian Navy owes the FCT Minister an unconditional apology on behalf of its former head and the junior officer involved in what he termed a “horrible spectacle” outside the Navy’s core constitutional duties. According to him, the use of military personnel for non-military or private tasks such as guarding unoccupied lands or personal properties should never be condoned, as it undermines discipline and professionalism.
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the appropriate security and law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident and ensure that those responsible are sanctioned. This, he said, would preserve military professionalism and strengthen respect for civil authority, which he described as “the foundation for a stable and democratic society where the rule of law prevails.”
Ambassador Igali concluded by stressing that the FCT Minister must be protected from acts of overzealousness as he continues to carry out his duties with commitment and patriotic zeal.
