Former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to publicly apologise to a Nigerian military officer whom he verbally abused during a confrontation at a disputed property site in Abuja.
In a strongly worded statement titled “Minister Wike: Power, Process, and the Rule of Law,” Chidoka criticised Wike’s conduct, describing it as a misuse of executive authority and a violation of the principles of democratic governance.
Chidoka faulted Wike’s decision to personally intervene in an enforcement matter, arguing that such behaviour undermines the rule of law and proper administrative process.
“Minister Nyesom Wike’s decision to personally enforce a directive at a disputed site was a fundamental misstep. In constitutional democracies, power operates through institutions, not impulse,” Chidoka said.
He emphasised that executive authority must be exercised through established legal frameworks — courts, ministries, and other lawful channels — rather than through confrontation.
“No matter how justified a grievance, a minister cannot become an enforcer; that violates the very idea of ordered government,” he added.
The former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) also criticised operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) attached to the minister for what he described as “unprofessional behaviour.”
“Their duty was to de-escalate and extract their principal from a volatile situation, not inflame it. Security officers must remember that their loyalty is to the state, not to personalities,” he warned.
Chidoka urged the FCT Minister to apologise to the military officer, asserting that abusive language towards a uniformed officer performing lawful duties sets a dangerous precedent.
“The Minister should apologise to the officer for using abusive language. It is not acceptable behaviour,” he stated.
He noted that if the military personnel had acted outside lawful orders, the matter should have been referred to the Minister of Defence for disciplinary review rather than handled through direct confrontation.
The remarks follow reports of a heated face-off in Abuja’s Gaduwa District, where soldiers allegedly prevented Wike and officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from accessing a property under dispute.
A viral video captured the minister angrily confronting a military officer who claimed to be acting under lawful instructions. Wike accused the soldier of obstructing government officials from performing their duties, shouting, “Because you’re an officer, nobody does that. Nobody acquires land illegally.”
The confrontation, which has since drawn widespread public debate, raises questions about the boundaries of ministerial authority and respect for institutional hierarchy within Nigeria’s governance framework.
Chidoka concluded that the episode was a “cautionary tale” on the dangers of unchecked power.
“This incident demeans the dignity of the ministerial office and undermines the image of disciplined governance,” he said.
