Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of being behind recent allegations claiming he allocated prime Abuja lands to his children.
Reacting through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike described the allegations as a “futile blackmail” and insisted they are part of a smear campaign orchestrated by political enemies.
Wike’s aide said, in a veiled reference to Atiku, “Let that fellow from Adamawa State, who is struggling to get at the FCT minister for supporting power rotation between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria put more efforts. This is because, just like the one of last week, this one, too, has failed even before its commencement.”
He argued that no land had been allocated to any of Wike’s children and dismissed the entire narrative as baseless propaganda.
The statement added, “Last week, it was unfounded and poorly carried out propaganda of Wike allocating 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama to one of his sons, even when no such land is available in the two districts combined. They used a document showing allocation of land for farming in Bwari Area Council to a company, JOAQ Farms, to justify the falsehood.
“This week, it is a tale of allocation of land to another son of the minister because documents showed allocation of lands to a company, Jordan Farms.
“Even though, like other Nigerians, it is the rights of children of the minister, his friends, associates and relatives to own lands anywhere in the country, including the FCT, provided all necessary conditions are met, as at today, no land has been allocated to any of the minister’s children.”
He clarified that Jordan Farms and Estates Limited is a legally registered entity in Nigeria and none of Wike’s children are listed as directors.
“That one of the sons of the FCT minister is Jordan and there is a company, Jordan Farms and Estates Limited, is no reason anyone should conclude that the company belongs to Wike’s son.”
Olayinka challenged the accusers to verify ownership of the company through the Corporate Affairs Commission, saying, “For instance, my name is Lere Olayinka, and there is Lere Local Government in Kaduna State. Do I own the Local Government? Am I even from Kaduna State? There are companies like Jordan Telecommunications, Jordan Foods, etc. Are they also owned by Wike’s son?
“In the United Kingdom, there is Jordan’s Farms. Is the company also owned by Wike’s son? On the document showing the name and signature of one of the minister’s security aides, the question to be asked is simple, who owns the company: Hyper Communications Limited?
“If I choose to assist my friend, associate or relative to collect property documents, does that confer ownership of the property on me?”
The statement noted that no amount of blackmail would derail Wike’s focus on delivering President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through ongoing development efforts in the capital.
