The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday hit back at those criticising the idea of building houses for judeges in Abuja.
Wike said rather than accusing him of tryong to use the houses to pocket the judges for political gains, the critics should commend President Bola Tinubu for the lofty idea.
He revealed that the construction of homes for judges was never his policy but that of the President as part of the efforts to promote the independence of the judiciary.
Wike made the clarification during a media chat insisting that the project was approved in the 2024 budget, and he is only performing his duty of implementing it.
Quoting the president, Minister said: “(Tinubu asked) ‘Where are the judges living? They have no homes and therefore open to political manipulation and for me as a president who wants to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, judges must have their homes.
“I am not Mr President; I am only lucky to be appointed as a minister under this administration and who is in the position to implement his policies. And Mr President said, look, this is what he wants, come up and see what we can do.”
Wike said the policy was “approved by Mr President, sent to the National Assembly in the 2024 budget that there should be construction of judges and Justices quarters. That they should move judges from where they are renting houses, living among criminals.
“A policy anybody should commend Mr President, it is in the budget of 2024, appropriated by the National Assembly, assented to by Mr President which is a law. What is the problem? I am only the implementor, go and implement this. The Federal Executive Council approved the contract and everything, it is not my policy, how will you now want to kill me that I am implementing what the Federal Government approved?
