Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has clarified his controversial comments about Seun Okinbaloye, stating that his remarks were not meant to be taken literally.
Wike had earlier said he would have “broken his TV screen and shot” Okinbaloye over the journalist’s comments that a one-party system would undermine democracy in Nigeria, sparking widespread backlash. Amnesty International condemned the statement, describing it as “reckless and violent language.”
However, in a statement issued on Saturday by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, the minister said his words were exaggerated and taken out of context.
“The minister never meant that he would shoot Seun Okinbaloye. They even spoke on the phone today, and he (Okinbaloye) understood what the minister meant,” Olayinka said.
He explained that Wike’s reaction stemmed from disappointment, noting that the minister believed Okinbaloye, whom he holds in high regard, had “descended into the political arena by speaking as an interested party instead of an interviewer.”
According to the statement, the comment was made in a hyperbolic context and was intended as an expression of frustration rather than a real threat.
“The statement made by the minister was in a hyperbolic context, which was clearly without intent. It was primarily using exaggeration to make a point,” he said.
Olayinka added that Wike had already clarified his position during the live television program, where journalists present reportedly laughed after his explanation.
“Even after the minister made the clarifications on the live television program… all the journalists who were interviewing him just laughed,” the statement noted.
He further stressed that Wike had explicitly stated on air that he did not mean he would “carry a gun and shoot the television anchor,” warning against misinterpreting the comment.
“The public is therefore urged to discontinue the use of the comment as an instrument of blackmail and propaganda by those whose intent is to misrepresent facts for their political gains,” Olayinka added.
