Minister of State For Defense takes Wike to the cleaners; Commends young Officer for professionalism:
A coalition of Nigerian military veterans has condemned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over a recent confrontation with a naval officer during an enforcement visit to a disputed land in Abuja.
A video obtained by our correspondent earlier showed Wike in a heated exchange with some naval personnel at a site in the Gaduwa area of the FCT.
The minister had visited the location as part of an enforcement operation and questioned the presence of military personnel allegedly guarding the land.
In the footage, Wike accused the officers of supporting an illegal development, while one of the naval personnel insisted they were acting on orders and that the land belonged to a former Chief of Naval Staff.
In his exact words,
Defence Minister Badaru Backs Naval Officer Who Clashed With FCT Minister Wike, Says ‘We Will Protect Our Officer’
“What happened between Minister Wike and the officer is unfortunate. When he got there, the officer explained that he was simply obeying orders given to him. Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer; he ought to have addressed his concerns through the officer’s superiors,”.
“He (Wike) is our colleague, and Wike could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue. The officer’s action was lawful—he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Therefore, the young officer only carried out his duty worthy of commendation,”
“He did not commit any offence under military regulations; he merely obeyed a lawful order and followed due process. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly,”
“There is, therefore, no offence under military law for which he should be charged. Wike should not have engaged him in an altercation, especially out of respect for the uniform he was wearing.
“Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. There is, therefore, no basis for any punishment against the officer,”
“This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully toward civilians. The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors. I gathered that he called the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation,”
“However, he did not wait and instead went straight to the site. As a leader, he ought to have exercised patience and waited for the outcome of the investigation,”.
“Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an investigation would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to go there and confront them,”
“Now that the Chief of Naval Staff has visited the area—since it involves a land dispute—the matter will be investigated to know who owns the lawful documents,”
“If the land has been revoked, there are established procedures to be followed diplomatically,”
“We have not received any formal complaint from Wike, but I called him after the video went viral and advised that he should have spoken with me before going there, rather than confronting the officers directly,”
~ Bello Matawalle
Minister of State For Defense
