“I Derive Joy in Stepping on Big Toes” – Wike Defends Crackdown on Ground Rent Defaulters

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he takes pleasure in confronting powerful individuals who flout the law, particularly in relation to the payment of ground rent in Abuja. Speaking during a media chat in the capital on Monday, Wike dismissed concerns about backlash from the elite, insisting that the era of impunity is over.

He criticised members of the elite who admire law and order abroad but return to Nigeria and refuse to obey basic regulations. According to him, such attitudes will no longer be tolerated.

“The problem we have is that our people travel abroad, see how things are done, and come back here to do the opposite. But that time has passed. Something will happen now,” he warned.

Wike reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to upholding the law in the FCT, stressing that no one, regardless of status, is above the rules.