Wike speaks on alleged secret allocation of 2,000 hectares to son in Abuja

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has refuted allegations that he secretly allocated over 2,000 hectares of land in the highbrow districts of Maitama and Asokoro to his son.

The allegations, which first appeared in an online report, claimed Wike awarded 2,082 hectares of prime land to his son through JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited—a company the report linked to his family. It suggested that land designated for agriculture was being misused for personal interests.

Reacting to the claims, Lere Olayinka, the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, dismissed the publication as baseless.

Describing the report as “another falsehood from the vault of those whose main job is to malign the FCT Minister,” Olayinka maintained that no land had been allocated to any of Wike’s children.

In a statement released on Thursday, he said, “Not even a single plot of land has been allocated to any of the Minister’s children.”

He also questioned the credibility of the report, noting the unlikelihood of finding such vast land in the areas mentioned.

“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 further alleged that the article was part of a coordinated effort to damage Wike’s reputation.

“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.”

He also emphasized that, legally, Wike and his family have the right to own property in any part of the country, including the FCT, as long as due process is followed.

“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.”

Olayinka clarified that the only connection mentioned in the report—a Right of Occupancy granted to JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited—pertains to agricultural land in Bwari Area Council, not the upscale districts named in the article.

“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.

He urged the public to disregard the report, describing it as entirely false.