Wike, in a statement signed by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, on Thursday, described the allegations as “another falsehood from the vault of those whose main job is to malign the FCT Minister.”
The minister insisted that “not even a single plot of land has been allocated to any of his children.”
He went on to question the basis of the claim, asking, “In Asokoro and Maitama of today, where can the FCT Minister see 2,082 hectares of land to allocate to anyone?”
Olayinka also condemned the report, saying, “Only quack journalists will go to town with the story of allocation of 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama.” He challenged the online publisher of the report to provide evidence of any land allocation associated with the Minister’s children.
“The attention of the Minister has been drawn to yet another malicious falsehood coming from the same elements whose job is to defame and malign him,” Olayinka stated.
He maintained that the Minister and his family have the right to own land in Nigeria but clarified that no such allocation had been made. “Even though it is the right of the Minister and his family to own lands anywhere in Nigeria, no land has been allocated to any of his children,” he stated.
He further clarified the only documentation mentioned in the publication: “For the avoidance of doubt, JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, a company duly registered in Nigeria, obtained a land allocation in Bwari Area Council for the purpose of farming. There’s nothing wrong with a farmer getting land allocation strictly for the purpose of agriculture.”
Olayinka concluded by reiterating that the allegations are entirely fabricated and should not be taken seriously. He stated that the claims concerning the FCT Minister’s supposed land allocation to his son are “false and should be disregarded.”
