Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has challenged Nigerians to stop demanding fairness only when their ethnic or regional groups are disadvantaged, warning that such an approach amounts to seeking access to the privileges of injustice rather than confronting it.
Wike said the true test of commitment to equity was the willingness to defend fairness even when it did not favour one’s community, stressing that Nigeria’s quest for justice must transcend ethnic interests, political calculations and the struggle for access to power.
“If we complain about marginalisation only when our own people are excluded, but become silent when others are marginalised after our people gain power, we are not opposing injustice; we are seeking access to its privileges,” he said.
The minister spoke on Thursday while delivering the keynote address at the inaugural Idoma Hall of Fame induction ceremony, organised in collaboration with Och’Idoma as part of the Idoma Centenary Plus celebration.
Speaking on the theme, ‘People, Politics and Power Play in Nigeria: The Agitation for Equity and Fairness’, Wike argued that the country’s persistent debate over marginalisation could not be resolved by merely rotating political offices among ethnic groups and regions without addressing the underlying conditions that sustain inequality.
He said Nigeria needed a conception of equity that went beyond the question of which ethnic group occupied political office to whether the process was fair, institutions served the public interest and citizens enjoyed reasonable opportunities to participate in national life.
According to him, the central challenge is to build a political system in which Nigerians regard the country as belonging to all, rather than as the exclusive preserve of those who control political power.
Wike warned that the tendency to treat public office as private property had weakened public institutions, encouraged patronage and created perceptions of exclusion among communities that felt shut out of governance.
“One of the enduring difficulties of our political life is the tendency to convert public power into private possession,” he said.
He added that when political office became a means of personal accumulation, public resources were turned into instruments of private enrichment, while sectional control of power made those outside privileged circles feel alienated from the state.
The minister maintained that political power should be regarded as a public trust rather than an entitlement, noting that the Constitution places sovereignty in the hands of the people and identifies their security and welfare as the primary purpose of government.
He said Nigeria’s federal character principle was designed to promote national unity, prevent the domination of public institutions by a few states or ethnic groups and strengthen citizens’ sense of belonging.
However, Wike cautioned that equitable representation must not become an excuse to sacrifice competence, insisting that inclusion and merit should complement each other in public appointments.
“A Nigerian should not be excluded from public office because of where he or she comes from; neither should competence become irrelevant once a candidate’s identity satisfies a representational expectation,” he said.
He argued that representation should provide citizens with fair access to public office, while competence should determine their ability to discharge the responsibilities entrusted to them.
The FCT minister also expressed concern that political negotiations over appointments and positions of influence often overshadowed the everyday challenges facing ordinary Nigerians.
He said the emergence of a minister or other prominent office-holder from a particular ethnic group did not necessarily translate into better living conditions for members of that community.
According to him, citizens without jobs, functional schools, adequate healthcare, electricity and accessible roads could hardly experience meaningful inclusion merely because someone from their background occupied a position of authority.
“The real measure of political inclusion is therefore not simply who occupies office, but what the exercise of that office produces for the people,” he said.
Wike stressed that political inclusion must be accompanied by economic opportunities, adding that equity should encompass access to education, employment, healthcare, infrastructure, credit, security and justice.
He noted that Nigeria had adopted several mechanisms to manage its diversity, including federalism, state creation, revenue allocation, zoning and rotational presidency, but said institutional arrangements alone could not guarantee fairness without a corresponding commitment to the common good.
The minister urged political leaders and citizens to move beyond the struggle over whose turn it was to occupy positions of authority and focus instead on building institutions that work for all Nigerians.
Earlier, Wike commended the organisers of the Idoma Hall of Fame for establishing a platform to recognise outstanding Idoma sons and daughters, preserve the community’s heritage and inspire future generations.
He said preserving history involved documenting not only names and dates but also the experiences, struggles, achievements and values that shape a people’s identity.
