Atiku Abubakar Challenges Wike on Media Chat Costs

Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, has publicly challenged Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, to disclose the invoices for payments made to television stations for his monthly live media chat. This challenge was communicated through a Facebook post by Atiku's media aide, Paul Ibe.

Ibe stated that Wike's media chat involves at least eight broadcast outlets, including Channels Television, Arise, TVC, News Central, AIT, JDK, Aso TV & Radio, and ADBN. He estimated the cost of broadcasting at ₦10 million to ₦20 million per station per hour, leading to a total cost of between ₦160 million and ₦320 million per session.

Over 12 monthly sessions, this could amount to ₦1.92 billion to ₦3.84 billion. Ibe argued that residents of the FCT deserve to know how much is being spent and how it relates to public accountability rather than political disputes.

He called for Wike to publish the financial details, asserting that public resources should serve public purposes.