The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has defended the high costs of placing adverts on billboards in the state as the country gears up for the forthcoming general elections in 2027.
Wike spoke to journalists during his monthly media chat in Port Harcourt on Thursday, following outcry by several opposition parties over access to communication media through which voters can be reached, as they jostle for votes.
As billboard advertising remained a major medium used during the campaign period to reach millions of voters, in recent times, the opposition parties, however, have noted that the cost of putting up a billboard in the FCT has shot up astronomically.
The Minister, while reacting to the alleged lack of fair prices, argued that the cost of political campaigns is high across the world, adding that no party should see the price increase as a deliberate targeted attack.
“Politics is expensive all over the world,” Wike noted that political parties can use their social media to campaign since they have platforms there.
Opposition parties had alleged that while they are unable to afford the high price tags of billboards, those of the All Progressive Congress (APC) have dominated major cities across the country.
However, while addressing the allegation, Wike said, “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”
Wike argued that billboard prices were not raised to put any opposition political party at a disadvantage.
“The authority did not raise funds against you, because it is you”, he stressed that prices were raised to generate funds for infrastructure development in the Federal Capital Territory.
“I am going to use the money to do more roads, to improve the schools.”
The former governor of Rivers State stated that elections are not won by billboards.
“For Christ’s sake, a billboard does not win an election; how many people in the villages know about the billboard? He said.
On creating a level playing field for all political parties, he argued that major political parties pay for prime time in media houses.
He emphasised that revenue generation was what mattered.
“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.
Wike questioned the allegation, saying he was yet to receive a formal complaint from any political party that prices were raised because they are in the opposition.
“Let them complain to us; no one has complained to us. Nobody has complained to me”.
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