The viral video of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister in a furious face-off with a soldier speaks a deep low in character and leadership, writes Anthony Ubani
A viral video is going around. It shows the Federal Capital Territory minister in a furious face-off with a soldier. The soldier says he is only following orders. The minister calls him a “big fool.” Journalists, the minister’s entourage and the general public watch. The exchange is raw. It is public.
The scene matters for two reasons. First, it is about power. Second, it is about character.
Ministers are paid with public trust. That trust includes the expectation of restraint. It includes the idea that those who wear public office behave like citizens and they must act with integrity and accountability, using their authority for the public good at all times. They should not bully. They should not humiliate. They should not shout down an officer who says he is obeying a superior’s order. Yet that is exactly what happened on our streets in Abuja.
We must read the facts. Soldiers blocked the minister’s convoy at a disputed estate. The minister went to the site. A confrontation followed. The words exchanged were blunt. The video is clear. It leaves little room for polite euphemism.
Context matters. Land disputes in the capital are old and bitter. They often drag in government officials, private interests and the security services. That complexity does not excuse contempt. It does not justify name-calling in public. A fight about land should be settled in offices, in courts, or through calm negotiation. It should never be settled by humiliation on the roadside.
There are deeper dangers here. When a minister publicly insults a serving military officer it chips away at two institutions at once: the credibility of civilian leadership and the discipline of the armed forces. The soldier who answered, “I am acting on orders,” was doing what soldiers are trained to do. To brand that man a fool in front of cameras is to set a tone. It is a tone that invites more disorder, not less.
Leadership is shaped by small things. How you speak to the young officer reflects how you will treat citizens. It signals how your office handles dissent and how you respond to challenges. A leader who yells loses authority in the long run. Authority built on anger is brittle. But when authority flows from character, humility, discipline and calm reasoning it invites respect and admiration.
This is not about one personality alone. Nyesom Wike is a powerful political figure with a long record. Many have debated his style. But influence does not grant license to behave like a bully. Public servants must be held to public standards. When those standards are broken, we must name it. We owe that to the soldier, to the institutions, and to the public.
President Bola Tinubu has a duty here too. He must defend the dignity of the state. That means calling ministers to account when they fall short. It also means ensuring that the military is not used in civil matters, and that civil authorities do not provoke the uniformed services. Clear rules. Calm enforcement. No theatrics.
I do not ask for a spectacle of punishment. I ask for a simple remedy. A measured inquiry. An apology where needed. A rule-making moment that clarifies how land disputes in the FCT are handled going forward. If there was a failure of procedure, fix it. If there was an abuse of office, address it. Citizens will forgive mistakes when they are met with honesty. They will not forgive arrogance.
We must also protect the soldier who stood on duty and spoke up. He said he was acting on orders. That point deserves scrutiny. Who gave the order? Was the order lawful? If not, that must be investigated. If yes, the investigation should stop idle finger-pointing and start at the root.
Finally, the public should demand better. Our democracy, governance and leaders are only as good as citizens demand. We must expect character from our leaders. We must insist on civility. We must reject intimidation as a leadership style. The state is bigger than any single official. Its dignity must be preserved.
The video will be forgotten by some. But the lesson must not be. Power without humility is danger. Authority without accountability is chaos. Let this be a moment where the nation chooses order and decency over spectacle and scorn. The ball is now squarely in President Tinubu’s court to demonstrate the leadership and character that minister Wike shamefully failed to up uphold.
Anthony Ubani, Executive Director #FixPolitics Africa, writes from Abuja.
