Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, has alleged that FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has been obtaining loans for the nation’s capital without seeking approval from the National Assembly.

Kingibe made the allegation on Tuesday during an interview with Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, where she discussed the administration of the FCT, the Abuja Master Plan and the oversight responsibilities of lawmakers.

The senator said records from the Debt Management Office (DMO) showed that the FCT incurred loans between August 2023 and March 2026, despite Wike not appearing before the Senate to seek approval for the borrowing.

“I am definitely saying Wike has been taking loans without the approval of the National Assembly,” Kingibe said.

She expressed concern that the National Assembly, which is constitutionally responsible for oversight and approval of public borrowing, had not been given the opportunity to scrutinise the loans allegedly obtained by the FCT administration.

“I’m sorry to say, with all due respect to the Senate, of which I’m a member, we’re supposed to oversee him,” she said.

“We’re supposed to approve, and I have brought to the attention of the leadership of the Senate that the FCT is borrowing money.

“I have never seen Wike come to the National Assembly, before the Senate, to ask for approval for anything. He comes before the FCT Committee, and that’s the only time it ever sat.”

The allegation comes amid a sharp rise in the domestic debt of the FCT since Wike assumed office as minister in August 2023.

DMO data showed that the FCT’s domestic debt stood at N88.51 billion as of September 30, 2023, shortly after Wike took office on August 21, 2023.

At the time, the FCT ranked 29th among Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in terms of domestic debt, placing it among the least indebted sub-national entities.

By March 2026, however, the FCT’s domestic debt had risen to N389.88 billion, representing an increase of N301.37 billion, or 340.5 per cent, from the September 2023 figure.

The increase moved the FCT from the lower end of the domestic debt ranking to become the second-highest debtor among Nigeria’s sub-national governments.