Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has launched another attack on Senator Ireti Kingibe, accusing the FCT representative in the National Assembly of failing to use her position to address challenges confronting residents.

Wike said Kingibe should stop seeking public attention through media appearances and instead demonstrate her impact through legislative initiatives, including bills and motions addressing issues affecting the FCT.

The minister spoke after inspecting flood-affected areas in Maitama District and other parts of Abuja.

Kingibe had called for greater cooperation between her office and the FCT Administration in tackling flooding, regulating development and addressing other environmental challenges in the territory.

Wike, however, rejected the suggestion, insisting that his mandate was to work with all stakeholders in the FCT and not one individual.

“I was not appointed to work with only one particular person. I work with everybody,” he said.

The minister questioned why Kingibe, as a federal legislator, had not sponsored laws or proposed policies to address the challenges she had highlighted.

“If she knows that there’s a problem, she’s the one who makes the law. National Assembly is our own House of Assembly. Why is that every time she talks about ‘working with her, working with her, working with her’?” Wike asked.

He challenged the senator to tell FCT residents what she had achieved in the National Assembly, particularly through bills, motions and other legislative initiatives.

“The Senator should go and talk to the people! Tell them what she is doing in the National Assembly! Tell them the bill she has proposed for the benefit of the residents of Abuja,” the minister said.

According to Wike, legislators should be judged by their contributions to debates, legislation and constituency engagements rather than television appearances and public criticism of government.

The minister also linked Kingibe’s criticism of the FCT Administration to the forthcoming elections, alleging that she was politically vulnerable and seeking to regain public support.

“You have done nothing, and the people know you have done nothing. Even if you like, criticise. As far as this flooding is concerned, the people have made up their mind that you failed.

“I don’t blame her now, because she has almost lost the election. All she’s doing next is to see whether she can get the people,” Wike said.

Wike also dismissed allegations that the FCT Administration had allocated designated waterways to politicians for estate development.

He challenged anyone making such claims to produce evidence that a particular water channel had been allocated to a named politician for development.

“I want to deny categorically that this administration allocates water channel way for people to go and develop,” he said.

The minister argued that critics were not in a position to determine what constituted a waterway under the Abuja Master Plan.

“You cannot determine which area is a water channel to FCT. You cannot determine for us! You don’t know the master plan more than us!” he said.

Wike urged those making allegations of political allocation of waterways to provide documentary evidence rather than making what he described as sweeping claims.

“If anybody has one, come out with it to prove to Nigerians, ‘This is a water channel way, and it has been allocated to Mr Z, and approved for Mr Z to build something,’” he said.

“Not just to go and make a blanket statement, ‘Anything now, allocated to politicians.’ Who are the politicians? Do they have no name?”