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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the FCT Administration will maximise revenue from billboard advertisements ahead of the 2027 general elections to fund more road projects and improve schools across the territory.
Wike said the administration was determined to explore the revenue potential of billboard advertising, dismissing complaints by opposition parties over the high cost of securing prominent advertising spaces in Abuja.
The minister spoke on Thursday during his monthly media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he maintained that the increased billboard charges were driven by the administration’s revenue-generation objectives and not intended to disadvantage opposition political parties.
“We want money. The FCT wants money, and part of us making money is through the billboards to raise our revenue.
“If we know that in a given time, people will rush the billboard and authority feel that we will raise the funds to make more money,” he said.
He said the revenue generated would be invested in infrastructure, particularly roads and schools, as the administration seeks to improve public facilities in the nation’s capital.
“The authority did not raise funds against you, because it is you.
“I am going to use the money to do more roads, to improve the schools,” he said.
Wike’s defence followed complaints by opposition parties that the rising cost of billboard spaces in the FCT could restrict their ability to publicise candidates and campaign messages ahead of the 2027 elections.
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Responding, the former Rivers State governor argued that political campaigns were expensive globally and that parties should explore alternative platforms, including social media, to reach their supporters.
“Politics is expensive all over the world,” he said.
He also played down the importance of billboard advertisements in determining electoral outcomes, arguing that political parties should not place excessive reliance on outdoor advertising to win votes.
“For Christ’s sake, a billboard does not win an election; how many people in the villages know about the billboard?” he queried.
On allegations of unequal access to billboard spaces, Wike said some advertisers paid a year in advance to secure preferred locations, insisting that the FCT Administration could not be expected to determine the political affiliations of those making bookings.
“People go and pay a year ahead for billboards, ‘how will I know?’ ‘My business is not going to ask, who and who paid for the billboard; I have no business there,’” he said.
He further challenged political parties alleging discrimination to formally approach the FCT Administration with their complaints, insisting that none had brought the matter to his attention.
“Let them complain to us; no one has complained to us. Nobody has complained to me,” he said.
