The verbal war started when Wike accused Odinkalu of ineptitude during his time as NHRC chairman and called to question his professorship.
The war of words between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, which started last Friday is getting messier.
The verbal war started when Wike accused Odinkalu of ineptitude during his time as NHRC chairman and called to question his professorship.
Wike criticised Odinkalu over a write-up about the unveiling of the N10 billion FCT Renewed Hope programme, where 80 vehicles were injected into the FCT transport system.
The FCT minister said the human rights lawyer did not have an exemplary record when he served as the NHRC chairman.
He said: “Someone showed me a write-up they said was written by a professor. I asked him the professor of which university? Nobody knows.
“They were given opportunity in the Human Rights Commission. Ask them what was their performance. What was the record when the government allowed him to be there? Zero!”
But in a swift response, Odinkalu took to his official X handle to counter Wike, calling him a “greedy glutton” who should not be giving lectures on ethical conduct.
He tweeted: “In Abuja, @GovWike is flexing. He is a #LifeBencher inebriated on substance which may or may not be just power. He can buy whomever he wants with public money to do whatever he desires. But even that has a shelf-life. This idiocy will end one day too.
“One more thing, unlike @GovWike, I have a life outside messing about with the #PublicPurse. I left @NhrcNigeria 9 years ago & I have no interest or desire to maintain “structure” there. A greedy glutton has no business giving lectures on the virtues of being teetotal!”
Odinkalu also took to his LinkedIn page early Sunday morning to further question Wike’s credibility as a public servant.
He said, “#NyesomWike became a member of the Nigerian Bar Association HQ in 1991 & promptly mistook #TheBar for an invitation to get hopelessly drunk.
“In the same decade, he embarked on a political career beginning with local government.
“In the 25 yrs since he first held public office as the Chair of Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State in 1999, Mr. Wike has held various other positions in succession as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Rivers State; Minister of State for Education; & 2-term governor of Rivers State.
“In Aug. 2023, he became Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Over this quarter century, Mr. Wike evolved into the quintessential #GovernmentIndigene.
“He has emerged as the #GreedyGlutton of the Nigerian political space, bingeing on every beverage the country can offer: power, public money, the judiciary, treachery, violence, vintage alcohol & lots more.
“Inebriated as he is with substances financed by the #PublicPurse, Mr. Wike now thinks he must be #WorshippedAndGlorified. But #Nigeria is not his grove & we did not escort him to the country.
“His gluttonous lips have done enough damage being perennially clasped around #Nigeria's sovereign #FeedingBottle.”
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