‘Wike Must Go?’ The Cry of FCTA Workers Is the Cry of a Broken System – Otunba Babatunde Olushola Senbanjo

By Otunba Babatunde Olushola Senbanjo (BOS)

The protest by FCTA workers at the Industrial Court is not a coincidence, nor is it a partisan stunt. It is a loud, desperate, and legitimate cry of workers who have been pushed to the wall by arrogance, neglect, and misplaced priorities.

The chant “Wike must go” is no longer just a slogan it is a verdict delivered by suffering workers who can no longer endure leadership without empathy, focus, or accountability.

The office of the FCT Minister is not a political battlefield or a personal empire. It is a public trust. Abuja is the seat of power of Nigeria, and the welfare of its workers should be treated as a national priority. Sadly, under Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has become a theatre of intimidation, propaganda, and political distraction, while workers are owed, neglected, and treated with contempt.

How can a minister who claims to be “strong” and “effective” fail in the most basic responsibility of governance paying workers, respecting labour agreements, and maintaining industrial harmony? When workers are forced to abandon their duty posts and storm the Industrial Court, it is a clear sign that dialogue has collapsed and leadership has failed.

Instead of addressing unpaid entitlements, poor working conditions, and the welfare of FCTA staff, Wike has chosen to invest his energy in political wars far outside his mandate. Rivers State politics has become his full-time obsession, while Abuja his primary responsibility burns quietly under administrative incompetence. A minister who is physically in Abuja but mentally in Rivers State has no business remaining in office.

The protest exposes a deeper problem: the growing culture of impunity within the Tinubu administration, where ministers behave like untouchable emperors rather than servants of the people. Wike’s confrontational style, which he parades as “bold leadership,” has now degenerated into open hostility against workers, institutions, and democratic norms. Governance is not about shouting the loudest or intimidating critics; it is about solving problems.

FCTA workers are not asking for luxury. They are demanding what is rightfully theirs salaries, allowances, promotions, and dignity. These are not favours; they are legal and moral obligations. Any minister who sees workers’ demands as an insult rather than a call for justice has completely lost the moral authority to lead.

Even more troubling is the silence or complicity of the federal government. How long will President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ignore the growing discontent in the FCT? How many protests must happen before action is taken? Allowing Wike to continue in office despite repeated controversies sends a dangerous message: that loyalty to power matters more than competence, and arrogance is rewarded over accountability.

Abuja belongs to all Nigerians, not to one man’s ego. The FCT Minister should be a unifying figure, not a source of constant tension. When workers, civil servants, and citizens begin to see a minister as a problem rather than a solution, leadership has clearly expired.

The demand for Wike’s removal is not hatred; it is a necessity. It is about restoring sanity, professionalism, and humanity to the administration of the Federal Capital Territory. Nigeria is already choking under economic hardship, insecurity, and institutional decay. We cannot afford ministers who add fuel to the fire through recklessness and disregard for workers’ welfare.

The FCTA workers have spoken with courage. Civil society must stand with them. Labour unions must amplify their voice. Nigerians must refuse to normalise bad governance dressed up as “strong leadership.”

Wike must go not because of politics, but because governance has failed under him.
Wike must go because workers deserve respect, not repression.
Wike must go because Abuja deserves better.

History will remember this moment: either as the point where the government listened and corrected its course, or as another chapter where power chose arrogance over justice. The choice is now with the presidency but the message from the workers is already clear.