Politics
Kingibe alleges Wike borrowed for FCT without Assembly approval
Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has alleged that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike obtained loans for the nation’s capital without securing the approval of the National Assembly.
Kingibe made the allegation on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm. She said she became aware of the loans after reviewing information from the Debt Management Office (DMO) covering borrowings from August 2023 to March 2026.
“I have never seen Wike come to the National Assembly and before the Senate to ask for approval of anything,” she said.
However, Wike denied the claim when contacted by The ICIR.
This organisation reports that the allegation comes against the backdrop of a sharp rise in the FCT’s domestic debt under Wike, who assumed office as minister in August 2023.
The latest DMO in its March 31, 2026 sub-national domestic debt report, published on June 30, 2026, show that the FCT’s domestic debt stood at N88.51 billion as of September 2023, and Abuja ranked 29th among the 36 states including the FCT at that time. The ranking made the FCT the ninth-lowest debtor among Nigeria’s 37 sub-national governments.
By March 31, 2026, the debt had climbed to N389.88 billion, representing an increase of N301.37 billion, in roughly two-and-a-half years, which placed the FCT second-highest among Nigeria’s states in domestic debt, according to the latest DMO data.
DMO figures show the FCT’s domestic debt rose from N88.51 billion in September 2023 to N94.01 billion in March 2024, before falling to N53.43 billion in September 2024. It subsequently rose to N78.93 billion in September 2025, N188.86 billion in December 2025 and then N389.88 billion in March 2026.
The sharpest increase occurred between December 2025 and March 2026, when the FCT’s domestic debt jumped from N188.86 billion to N389.88 billion, an increase of about N201 billion in just three months.
Kingibe, in her latest interview said FCT budgets are usually presented to the Senate through the relevant committee for consideration before being approved by the upper legislative chamber.
“I am definitely saying he has been taking loans without the approval of the National Assembly. I don’t know about the House (of Representatives), but certainly not the Senate,” she said.
The senator challenged anyone disputing her claim to provide evidence that Wike appeared before the National Assembly to seek approval for the loans.
“If anybody contradicts me, they should bring the Votes and Proceedings of the day that Wike came to the National Assembly to ask for approval for anything,” she said.
She added that President Bola Tinubu submits requests for loans and appointments to the National Assembly, adding that Wike’s powers could not exceed those of the commander-in-chief.
The DMO’s revised borrowing guidelines state that an FCT loan request from a bank or financial institution should include a resolution of the National Assembly, alongside approval of the FCT Executive Committee and the relevant appropriation or other law authorising the borrowing.
Wike has previously pushed back against Kingibe’s criticism of his administration, accusing her of relying on media appearances rather than engaging through the National Assembly.
Reacting to Kingibe’s allegation, Wike, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, dismissed the claim and said journalists should first verify the senator’s statement with the relevant National Assembly committee.
Olayinka said Kingibe was not a member of the Senate or House of Representatives committees on the FCT and, therefore, questioned the basis of her claim.
“She’s not a member of Senate Committee on FCT. There’s nothing the FCT has done that is not approved by those who should approve,” he said during a telephone conversation with The ICIR.
He urged journalists investigating the allegation to approach the relevant National Assembly committees to establish whether the claim that the minister obtained loans without legislative approval was true.
Olayinka also argued that borrowing by the FCT is not a matter handled directly between the FCT minister and the National Assembly, saying the president presents the FCT budget to the legislature.
“Even if the FCT is borrowing, the minister does not communicate with the National Assembly. It is the president,” he said.
However, when the reporter pointed out that DMO’s revised borrowing guidelines state that an FCT loan request from a bank or financial institution should include a resolution of the National Assembly, Olayinka maintained that the minister had not undertaken any transaction without the necessary approval.
“There’s nothing the FCT has done that is not approved by those who should approve,” he said.
On the sharp increase in the FCT’s domestic debt, Olayinka attributed the development to increased activities and infrastructure development in the nation’s capital under Wike. He argued that the FCT had historically recorded relatively low borrowing because there was less activity and fewer major projects requiring financing.
“If nothing was happening in terms of activity, on what basis would the FCT borrow money? Now, the bank knows that FCT collects its own revenues,” he said, adding that the Territory was able to obtain loans to execute infrastructure projects.
He pointed to the administration’s ongoing infrastructure projects as justification for the increased borrowing.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.