FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has clarified his recent comments amid backlash over the confrontation involving soldiers who blocked his entry into disputed land in Abuja. Speaking on the controversy, Wike insisted his words were misunderstood.

“Some people said I said the boy is a fool. What I meant is: you can’t carry out an illegal order. That’s all. I never said, ‘Military, you’re a fool.’ I could not have said that,” he stated.

Wike lamented what he described as Nigeria’s growing culture of tribal and religious bias.

“I cry for this country because we either tribalize everything or turn it into religion. Nobody knows the day he will die or how he will die,” he said.

According to him, leadership requires courage, even when difficult decisions attract criticism.

“As far as my conscience is clear that I’m doing the right thing, I’ll do it. If it costs me my job, so be it. Did I perform? Yes. Will history remember me? Yes,” Wike declared.

He added that criticism is often a sign of effective leadership.

“I will continue to step on toes. Any day I wake up and they didn’t call my name, I know something is wrong. It means I haven’t done well. If you’re a leader and nobody is talking about you, then something is fundamentally wrong.”

The FCT Minister’s comments come as public debate intensifies over military conduct, civil authority, and the controversy surrounding the Abuja land saga.