By Gabriel Ani
Abuja, Nigeria – A fierce exchange of words between Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and prominent human rights lawyer Professor Chidi Odinkalu erupted last Friday, with both men trading accusations that have resonated across social media and sparked widespread public commentary.
The dispute began when Wike, former Governor of Rivers State, publicly questioned Odinkalu’s credibility and expertise, disparaging his professorship and his tenure as Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Speaking at the N10 billion FCT Renewed Hope programme in Abuja, where 80 new vehicles were launched into the city’s transport system, Wike directed sharp criticism at Odinkalu, doubting his academic credentials and contributions to the NHRC.
“Someone showed me a write-up they said was written by a professor,” Wike remarked. “I asked him, the professor of which university? Nobody knows. They were given an opportunity in the Human Rights Commission. Ask them what was their performance. What was the record when the government allowed him to be there? Zero!”
Odinkalu, a Professor of Practice in International Human Rights Law at Tufts University’s Fletcher School in the United States, swiftly countered on his social media platform X, accusing Wike of political and ethical misconduct.
“In Abuja, @GovWike is flexing,” Odinkalu tweeted. “He is a #LifeBencher inebriated on substance which may or may not be just power. He can buy whomever he wants with public money to do whatever he desires. But even that has a shelf-life. This idiocy will end one day too.”
Odinkalu’s responses did not stop there. Over the weekend, he continued his criticisms on LinkedIn, questioning Wike’s career in public office and describing him as “the quintessential #GreedyGlutton of the Nigerian political space,” adding that Wike is “inebriated as he is with substances financed by the #PublicPurse.”
The clash has drawn a wave of public reactions, with many prominent Nigerians expressing support for Odinkalu. Former Rivers State Commissioner for Information Ibim Semenitari remarked, “It is pathetic that one man wants to play God so bad…#Nigeria is indeed not his Grove and no way are we his escorts to our own country and our own state.”
Dr. Chidumeje Chukwuebuka Okafor, a medical doctor and public affairs analyst, praised Odinkalu’s stance, calling it a “golden, fearless, unapologetic voice,” adding that the “Nigerian judiciary has lost the ability to access justice in this manner.”
The comments have snowballed, with academics, activists, and other public figures voicing criticism of Wike’s political approach. Professor Chike Osegbue, a professor of political economy, weighed in, condemning Wike’s “irrational audacity of greed.”
For now, both Wike and Odinkalu show no sign of backing down, and as the exchange gains traction, observers are left wondering whether this war of words will further expose deeper divisions in Nigeria’s political landscape.
