₦3.84 Billion TV Broadcast Claim: Atiku’s Aide Demands Answers From Wike

African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has challenged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to publicly disclose invoices and financial records relating to television broadcasts of his monthly live media chat.

The challenge was issued through a Facebook post by Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, who questioned the cost of airing the programme across multiple television stations and called for transparency over its funding.

Ibe claimed that at least eight broadcast outlets air Wike’s media chat, naming Arise, Channels Television, TVC, News Central, AIT, JDK, Aso TV and Radio, and ADBN among the stations involved.

According to Ibe, television airtime could cost between ₦10 million and ₦20 million per station for an hour-long broadcast. Based on his estimates, eight stations airing a two-hour programme could attract costs ranging from ₦160 million to ₦320 million per session.

He further calculated that airing the programme monthly over 12 months could amount to between ₦1.92 billion and ₦3.84 billion annually. However, these figures were presented as estimates by Atiku’s aide and have not been independently verified as the actual expenditure on Wike’s broadcasts.

Ibe argued that residents of the FCT deserve to know how much is being spent on the programme, particularly whether public funds are being used to finance the broadcasts.

He also questioned the amount of airtime devoted to the development of Abuja compared with Wike’s political disagreements with opposition figures and parties, including Atiku, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, the ADC and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The ADC chieftain maintained that while public officials have a responsibility to explain their activities and policies to citizens, government resources should be used for public purposes rather than personal political disputes.

He pointed to issues such as roads, water supply, education, healthcare, sanitation and security as areas requiring attention in the FCT.

Ibe consequently called on Wike to identify the television stations paid, disclose the amounts involved, explain the sources of funding and provide the relevant budget lines for the expenditure.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Atiku’s challenge has brought renewed attention to questions about transparency, public spending and the use of government-funded media broadcasts, although the actual costs and funding arrangements remain to be established.