Wike denies allocating Abuja land to son<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied reports alleging that he allocated 2,082 hectares of land in Abuja\u2019s highbrow districts of Maitama and Asokoro to his son, describing the claim as \u201ccompletely false and malicious\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued yesterday, Wike\u2019s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, refuted the report circulating online, insisting that no single plot of land has been allocated to any of the minister\u2019s children.<\/p>\n
Olayinka described the publication as the work of \u201cquack journalists\u201d and questioned the credibility of those behind the story.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Asokoro and Maitama of today, where can the FCT Minister see 2,082 hectares of land to allocate to anyone?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly quack journalists will go to town with such a baseless claim.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report in question cited a Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) allegedly issued to JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited as evidence.<\/p>\n
But Olayinka clarified that the land allocated to the company was located in Bwari Area Council and was approved strictly for agricultural purposes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the avoidance of doubt, JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, a company duly registered in Nigeria, got land allocation in Bwari for the purpose of farming.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what\u2019s wrong with a farmer getting land allocation strictly for agriculture?\u201d he queried.<\/p>\n
Olayinka further noted that while the minister and his family are legally entitled to own land anywhere in Nigeria, including the FCT, no land has been allocated to Wike\u2019s children under his administration.<\/p>\n
He challenged the publishers of the report to present any document or official record proving otherwise and urged the public to disregard what he called \u201canother malicious falsehood aimed at tarnishing the image of the minister.\u201d<\/p>\n
The denial came amid ongoing calls for transparency in land allocations within the FCT, a subject that has generated public interest and political debate<\/p>\n
(The Guardian)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wike denies allocating Abuja land to son Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied reports alleging that he allocated 2,082 hectares of land in Abuja\u2019s highbrow districts of Maitama and Asokoro to his son, describing the claim as \u201ccompletely false and malicious\u201d. In a statement issued yesterday, Wike\u2019s Senior Special […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":146678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,19,18],"tags":[1532,1533,1534,1531],"class_list":{"0":"post-146677","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-metro","9":"category-news","10":"tag-denies","11":"tag-land-allocation","12":"tag-son","13":"tag-wile"},"yoast_head":"\n