Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd.), has unleashed a stinging attack on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accusing him of governing with “impunity, intimidation, and an alarming disregard for Nigeria’s security architecture.”
Irabor, speaking at a high-level national security dialogue in Abuja, said Wike’s confrontation with a naval officer over a plot of land was not just embarrassing, but “a dangerous signal that public officers now believe they can undermine the armed forces without consequences.”
The retired military chief, visibly angry as he addressed the hall, said Wike’s attitude typifies a broader crisis of leadership. “What we saw in that video was not confidence. It was recklessness. It was lawlessness. It was a minister acting like a warlord,” Irabor thundered.
He accused the FCT Minister of constantly deploying “fear, threats and theatrics” instead of governance and warned that such behaviour is capable of provoking unhealthy civil-military tensions. “You don’t drag a nation into instability because of ego,” Irabor said. “You don’t endanger the morale of service members who put their lives on the line daily just because you want to prove you are in charge of Abuja.”
Irabor further cautioned that Nigeria’s democracy becomes vulnerable when ministers begin to humiliate uniformed personnel for doing their jobs. “This is how nations slip into anarchy—when those in power stop respecting the institutions that protect the nation,” he said.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently call Wike to order, stressing that the FCT Minister’s pattern of public outbursts has become “a liability, not an asset” to the administration. Irabor added that continuing on this path could lead to “avoidable national embarrassment or even crisis.”
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The retired general insisted that Wike must apologise to the Nigerian Navy and adopt a leadership style that reflects emotional intelligence, restraint, and respect for the rule of law. “No minister is above the constitution. And no Nigerian—civilian or military—should be subjected to harassment for simply doing their job,” he declared.
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