Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has firmly debunked widespread rumours on social media suggesting that he collapsed and was flown abroad for treatment. Speaking to journalists on Thursday after inspecting four key infrastructure projects in the FCT, including the International Conference Centre (ICC), Wike said he remains in perfect health and fully focused on delivering his duties.
In his characteristic tone, the minister dismissed the rumours as politically motivated attempts to distract from more pressing national issues, particularly the recent revelations about alleged plans to bomb the Rivers State House of Assembly and sabotage national infrastructure.
“I don’t want to give attention to people who thrive on spreading rumours. First of all, I am a human being, and not a ghost. If there was a health issue, yes, a human being can collapse. But in this case, nothing of the sort happened. I am very healthy, and I have shown no signs of illness,” Wike stated.
He explained that the rumour emerged shortly after a former Head of Service in Rivers State exposed serious threats involving plans to attack public assets. According to Wike, the death hoax was a calculated diversion to shift public attention away from those troubling revelations.
“There was never a time I collapsed. There was never a time I was flown abroad. In fact, I was publicly seen attending official events. I was present at the President’s birthday iftar and I also led residents of Abuja on a Sallah homage the following day,” he said.
Wike thanked Nigerians who expressed concern over the rumour but cautioned against wishing others ill, noting that life and death remain in the hands of God.
“Let me be clear: we all know that every human being will die someday, but only God decides when that day comes not man. It is unfortunate that some people spread such falsehoods with the hope of scoring cheap political points,” he said.
Taking a jab at those who circulated the false reports, Wike added with a touch of sarcasm, “I am even healthier than most of those who spread the rumour. In fact, I’ll be the one to write their condolence letters when the time comes.”
Turning his attention to the state of infrastructure projects in the FCT, the minister expressed satisfaction with the level and quality of work being executed. At the International Conference Centre, he commended the contractors for staying on schedule and delivering a high standard of work.
“We’re witnessing substantial progress. The quality is commendable. With God’s grace, we will complete and inaugurate this project soon,” he said.
Wike also mentioned other ongoing projects, including the road projects at Gishiri and those leading to Justices’ Quarters, all of which he described as being on track and of high quality. He announced plans to visit more project sites, including the OSEX area and the road leading to the EFCC office.
He concluded by reaffirming that many of these projects would be inaugurated to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second anniversary in office.
“I am truly impressed with what I’ve seen so far. Everything is going according to plan,” he added.
