Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory’s minister, has refuted allegations making the rounds on the internet that he gave one of his sons more than 2,000 hectares of land in the Maitama and Asokoro areas.
According to an internet source, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike gave his son 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama, two of Abuja’s most prestigious neighbourhoods, in secret.
The publication linked Wike’s family to a Right of Occupancy purportedly granted in the name of JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited. According to the investigation, the land was being exploited as a front for personal benefit even though it was formally designated for agricultural use.
The reports were described as “another falsehood from the vault of those whose main job is to malign the FCT Minister” by Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Public Communications and Social Media.
Olayinka claimed in a news release on Thursday that “not even a single plot of land has been allocated to any of the Minister’s children.”
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“In Asokoro and Maitama of today, where can the FCT Minister see 2,082 hectares of land to allocate to anyone? Only quack journalists will go to town with story of allocation of 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama, reason some of us have continually advocated for professionalism in journalism,” the statement read.
Olayinka claimed that the publication was aimed at discrediting the FCT Minister and that Wike and his family had the right to own property anywhere in the FCT as long as they complied with all requirements.
“My attention has been drawn to yet, another malicious falsehood coming from the same elements whose job is to defame and malign the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
“Even though it is the right of the Minister and members of his family, both immediate and extended, to own lands anywhere in Nigeria, including the FCT, provided all necessary conditions are met, no land has been allocated to any of his children.”
“In the publication, a Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) issued to JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, for Agricultural purpose was the only evidence used to justify the claim. For the avoidance of doubt, JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, a company duly registered in Nigeria, got land allocation in Bwari Area Council for the purpose of farming. So what’s is wrong with a farmer getting land allocation strictly for the purpose of agriculture?” he queried.
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He questioned the reasoning behind the publication and stated that it was the work of “quack journalists, who lacked basic training in journalism.” Olayinka further dismissed the entire report, stating that the publication was “false and should be disregarded.”
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