Wike asks NBA to Return ‘300m Gift’ – says ‘some gifts can kill you

Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has asked the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to return the N300 million gift to Rivers State Sole Administrator.

The minister disclosed this in his media chat on Thursday in Abuja.

Wike’s comments is in the wake of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emergency rule declaration in Rivers State and the suspension of Fubara and others for six months.

Following Fubara’s suspension, the NBA shifted its Annual General Conference 2025, earlier billed for Port Harcourt to Enugu State, citing the emergency rule as the reason.

The NBA had repeatedly maintained its stance against the emergency, describing it as unconstitutional.

However, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, recently asked the NBA to return the N300 million given to it by the government to host the conference.

Meanwhile, in response, the NBA described the N300 million fund from Rivers State as a gift.

Reacting, Wike said the N300 million gift was not appropriated, describing it as illegal.

“On the NBA matter, it is unfortunate. How will the NBA back Rivers emergency rule when they collected gifts? When the Body of Benchers came to see me, I told them. When the Justice gave judgement about local government, the NBA came out and condemned it without reading the judgement.

“The president declared a state of emergency in Rivers State. They say he is not correct until everybody now knows why they took that stance because the state gifted them a gift that was not appropriate.

“NBA took N300 million and said it was a gift.

”In my budget I put it as a grant. I am allowed by law because it is appropriated. In this case the gift was not appropriated. NBA took an illegal gift,” he maintainted.

When asked if he support the call for NBA to return the N300m gift, he said; “There are some gift that will kill you. This gift is too bad.”

Also, during the media parley Wike positioned himself to potentially forgive the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his former protégé and successor, but only under specific conditions.

The relationship between the two leaders has soured significantly, primarily stemming from disputes over the control of the state’s political structure and resources.

The conflict has had ripple effects, including the defection of 27 members of the State House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The defectors, however, later denied defecting from the PDP to APC when their legislative seats were declared vacant.

During the interview, Wike revealed that two governors approached him to resolve the feud between him and Fubara.

Though he didn’t reveal the governors’ names, Wike said he told them he was resolved to make peace with his successor.

“These two governors came to me and I said, ‘look, I am here for peace. What does he want?’ and they said, ‘look, we will do everything.’

“In sincerity, if anybody comes, it must be in sincerity. The best opportunity was when the President intervened,” Wike stated.

The minister also backed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers, saying he wanted the removal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the oil-rich state

But Wike said the president’s move saved Rivers from implosion, arguing that the decision to appoint a sole administrator following Fubara’s suspension was a step in the right direction.

“As a politician, I am not happy with the declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers state. I wanted the outright removal of the governor. But for the interest of the state, the president did the right thing to prevent anarchy in the state.

“The matter is in court but people must say the truth. The governor was gone. It is not on my place to make it good for the governor. As a politician, my business is not to make him comfortable and that is why there is power plane,” Wike added