FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has rebuffed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu's plan to build houses and grant judges cars was to pocket them for political gains.

Wike who has come under fire from social media critics and most recently human rights lawyer, Femi Falana said the construction was not his policy but a welfare package from President Bola Tinubu to promote the independence of the judiciary.

He clarified in a parley with the media that the project was approved in the 2024 budget as he only performing his duty of implementing it.

Wike explained: “(Tinubu said) ‘Where are the judges living? They have no homes and therefore open to political manipulation and for me as a president who wants to guaranty the independence of the judiciary judges must have their homes’.

“I am not Mr President; I am only lucky to be appointed as a minister under this administration and who is in the position to implement his policies. And Mr President said, look, this is what he wants, come up and see what we can do.

“It was approved by Mr President, sent to the National Assembly in the 2024 budget that there should be construction of judges and Justices quarters. That they should move judges from where they are renting houses, living among criminals.

“A policy anybody should commend Mr President, it is in the budget of 2024, appropriated by the National Assembly, assented to by Mr President which is a law. What is the problem? I am only the implementor, go and implement this.

“Federal Executive Council approved the contract and everything, it is not my policy, how will you now want to kill me that I am implementing what the Federal Government approved?”

Wike insisted that there was nothing wrong even if it was his idea to construct homes for judges, adding that he had done something similar as the governor of Rivers State.

The former Rivers State governor lamented the criticisms for this project instead of commendations, especially from those in the legal profession.