On Monday, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), caused a social media buzz by donning a £1,499 Versace logo-patch denim midi coat.
He paired the coat with blue jeans, shoes, and a cream-coloured hat, looking stylish and fashionable.
The occasion was Monday’s flag-off of the Mabushi Bus Terminal in Abuja.
Some of the dignitaries at the event included Mariya Mahmoud, Minister of State, FCT, and Tajudeen Abass, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The outfit
The Versace denim midi coat is a chic blend of classic and contemporary.
Checks by Premium Times online reveal that the designer coat costs £1,499 or about N2.9 million according to official exchange rates.
The former Rivers State governor’s luxurious outfit has ignited a flurry of responses from Nigerians on social media, with opinions ranging from admiration to criticism.
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Nigerian music star Omah Lay donned a similar outfit in September 2023 when he featured in Wonderland‘s Autumn/Fall 2023 issue.
In another social media video, Mr Wike was spotted amidst friends dancing to Flavour’s 2023 hit “Big Baller” in the stunning Versace outfit.
Politics
At the road construction flag-off, Mr Wike addressed his displeasure at Ireti Kingibe, a Labour Party senator representing the FCT, who voiced her ongoing dissatisfaction with the current administration’s performance.
He said, “I overheard somebody on Arise TV this morning. Unfortunately, I hear the person is a member of the National Assembly, and it is unfortunate that I say so. With all due respect, what you don’t know, you don’t know, what you see, you know, and the good thing for you is to tell people you don’t when you don’t know, then people will educate you.
“The Honourable Minister of State and my humble self have not been in office for more than 11 months, and the person is angry that they are praising us. If you don’t want to or are angry about that, hang yourself on a transformer. If we have done well, we have done well. If we haven’t done well, we haven’t done well. I am proud to say that we have done well in the short time Mr. President appointed us.
“You said there are no hospitals, and there are no hospitals. You, as a legislator, what have you done? How many bills have you sponsored for us to improve our education and health sector?
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“I challenge that legislator. If you are very popular in 2027, come and run under Abuja, we will fail you. Do you think that what happened last time will happen again? It will not happen again. Luckily for me, I am the FCT Minister now. So that is my territory, and I’m not afraid of it.
“So, people should be able to come out and accept the truth. We are not begging for anybody to become our friend; we have so many friends we cannot carry along. So how can we go and beg people to become our friends? We are not interested in that.
“If you are angry that people are praising us, by next year, your BP level will go very high because the praises you would see would be too much.”
Ms Kingibe had castigated the Wike-led administration on the television programme.
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