Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is behind allegations that he allocated choice plots of land to his children in exclusive parts of Abuja. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike dismissed the accusation as futile blackmail. Wike’s aide, who described the allegation as sponsored, insisted that no land had been allocated to any of his children in the FCT.
The statement said, in 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.” The statement added that no amount of blackmail would stop Wike from continuing with his development efforts in the FCT in accordance with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
It said, “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. No doubt, land was duly allocated to Jordan Farms and Estates Limited, a company duly registered in Nigeria, with none of the children of the FCT minister as director of the company. 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.”
He challenged those behind the stories to publish the names of the company’s owners, stating that the record of ownership of the company is available at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The statement added, “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?”