The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has dismissed reports claiming that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, allocated 2,082 hectares of land in Maitama and Asokoro to his son, describing the allegations as baseless and malicious.
In a press statement released on Thursday, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, denounced the report as a fabrication by “quack journalists” bent on smearing the image of the Minister.
“Not even a single plot of land has been allocated to any of the Minister’s children,” Olayinka stated, questioning the credibility and intentions of those behind the publication.
He challenged the online publisher responsible for the allegation to present evidence of any land allocation document bearing the name of any of Wike’s children.
“In Asokoro and Maitama of today, where can the FCT Minister see 2,082 hectares of land to allocate to anyone?” Olayinka asked. “Only quack journalists will go to town with a story of allocation of 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama.”
Addressing the specific claim regarding JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, Olayinka clarified that the company, duly registered in Nigeria, received a legitimate allocation in Bwari Area Council strictly for agricultural purposes, not residential or commercial use.
“Even though it is the right of the Minister and members of his family to own land anywhere in Nigeria, including the FCT, provided all necessary conditions are met, no land has been allocated to any of his children,” the statement further read.
He urged the public to disregard the report and cautioned media practitioners to adhere to professional standards in journalism.
The statement concluded by reaffirming the FCTA’s commitment to transparency in land administration and denounced what it called “malicious falsehoods from elements whose job is to defame and malign the Minister.”
