The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has denied claims that the building of homes for judges in Abuja is for the purpose of pocketing the judges for political gains.
He said that the construction of homes for judges is not his policy, but part of welfare packages President Bola Tinubu designed for the judges to promote the independence of the judiciary.
Wike made the clarification during a media chat on Wednesday, insisting that the project was approved in the 2024 budget, and he is only performing his duty of implementing it.
Wike explained: “(Tinubu said) ‘Where are the judges living? They have no homes and therefore open to political manipulation and for me as a president who wants to guaranty 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.
“It 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.
“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?”
Wike insisted that there is nothing wrong even if it was his idea to construct homes for judges, adding that he had done something similar as the governor of Rivers State.
The former Rivers State governor lamented the criticisms for this project instead of commendations, especially from those in the legal profession.