The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has firmly refuted allegations that he secretly allocated over 2,000 hectares of land in Abuja’s elite Maitama and Asokoro districts to his son.
The allegation, which first surfaced via an online platform (not DAILY GAZETTE), claimed Wike facilitated the issuance of a Right of Occupancy in the name of JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, a company reportedly linked to his family.
The report suggested that land meant for agricultural use was instead being used as a cover for private enrichment.
Reacting to the claims, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, issued a strong rebuttal, describing the story as part of a deliberate campaign to smear the Minister’s image.
“Not even a single plot of land has been allocated to any of the minister’s children,” Olayinka stated in a press release on Thursday.
He went on to dismiss the allegations as baseless and absurd, questioning the credibility of the source and the feasibility of the claim itself.
“In Asokoro and Maitama of today, where can the FCT minister see 2,082 hectares of land to allocate to anyone?”
Olayinka described the report as a fabrication peddled by unprofessional media operators.
“Only quack journalists will go to town with the story of allocation of 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama, the reason some of us have continually advocated for professionalism in journalism,” he said.
He also accused the unnamed publisher of engaging in a coordinated effort to malign the minister.
“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,” Olayinka added.
