‘Stop Complaining, Attract Development To Your Institutions’ – Wike Tells Professional Bodies

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday challenged professional bodies in Nigeria to pay less attention to public criticisms and more attention to attracting tangible development to their institutions and members.

Wike spoke in Abuja while receiving the Body of Benchers’ delegates on a courtesy visit to his official residence in Life Camp, led by its Chairman, Albert Akpomudje.

“Leaders of professional associations should be remembered for the projects and reforms they attracted while in office, rather than for frequent appearances on television criticising government,” the minister said.

“What is leadership all about? “What will you say is your legacy at the end of your tenure?” Wike asked.

“You can’t be in a position and what you do is to criticise government everyday. People will ask you, “what did you do for your profession, when you had the opportunity?”

According to him, successive leaders of the Body of Benchers had shown exemplary leadership in consistently seeking government intervention to improve infrastructure and facilities for the legal profession.

“You are not the first Chairman of the Body of Benchers but you came with requests that will better the institution and open up the area for everybody. That’s leadership,” he said.

Wike said the annex building of the Body of Benchers was close to completion and would be delivered by June, while the access road around the Nigerian Law School and EFCC Academy corridor was already 98 per cent complete.

He also approved a fresh request for a new access road to the Body of Benchers annex building and directed the relevant officials of the FCT Administration to immediately assess and incorporate the project into the ongoing works.

The minister used the opportunity to rebut what he called “destructive criticism” from some professional groups, insisting that constructive engagement with government brings better results.

“Constructive criticism is good, but not the kind where nobody sees anything good in what government is doing,” he said.

He was especially critical of the criticism of government-built houses for judges, saying infrastructure and welfare support to judicial officers would strengthen institutions, not weaken them.

“If the government provides accommodation for judges, people say they are compromised. “But when the NBA goes about seeking support from government, nobody talks about compromise,” Wike said.

He said professional associations need to work harder at identifying gaps in their sectors and partnering with government to fill those gaps.

“Being president of an association and all you do is go to television programmes to criticize the government is not enough. “What did you sketch for your members?” He asked, “What did you improve?”

Earlier, His Royal Highness Akpomudje praised the FCT Administration for what he called a remarkable infrastructural transformation across Abuja, most especially, projects that have benefitted the legal profession.

He said the Body of Benchers was happy with the completion of its annex building, the ongoing construction of the fire service station project and the building of access roads within the complex.

‘Every day we are upgrading roads in the city centre and in the rural areas. “This is what governance should be, in fact,” he said.

Akpomudje added that collaboration between the executive, legislature and judiciary was still required to strengthen democratic institutions and improve access to justice in Nigeria.