Lere Olayinka Fires Back at Abati Over Kneeling Comment on Wike

Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has fired back at Arise TV host Reuben Abati over comments criticizing him for kneeling before Wike.

During Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Abati questioned Lere’s display, suggesting it reflected undue sycophancy reminiscent of some officials during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

He said, “The high point was when our friend, Lere Olayinka, knelt down trying to serve his master. This kind of behaviour was common during Jonathan’s administration, even before and after his tenure. I have seen people crawl before him. But Lere understands the game and will kneel to serve the master. There is a time limit to all of this.”

In response, Lere took to Facebook to dismiss Abati’s remarks, recalling what he described as Abati’s failure to protect Jonathan from negative media coverage during his tenure as Media Adviser.

He wrote, “I thank you for making me a topic on Arise News this morning. Continue till the end of January 2026. But as I have always maintained, had you been as focused on your duties under President Jonathan as you are now on Wike, you would have shielded him from the negative press he endured.

“I also hope you are less driven by greed now—the same greed that led one of your aides to abscond with millions of naira intended for office operations, all because you wanted to hide your running grant from your SSAs and SAs.”

The exchange has reignited discussions about the limits of loyalty and protocol among political aides and media personnel in Nigeria.