“One fellow from Adamawa State is the person behind this sponsored blackmail because I supported power rotation to the South, this will fail also”
Those were the words of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who has dismissed allegations that he allocated choice plots of land to his children in Abuja’s exclusive areas.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike attributed the claims to a sponsored campaign by a fellow from Adamawa State, hinting at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to Olayinka, the allegations are baseless and part of a futile blackmail attempt. “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 read.
Wike’s aide explained that land was allocated to Jordan Farms and Estates Limited, a registered company in Nigeria, but none of the minister’s children are directors of the company. “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 a director of the company,” the statement clarified.
Olayinka challenged those behind the allegations to publish the names of the company’s owners, stating that the record of ownership is available at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). “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?” he queried.
The statement concluded that no amount of blackmail would deter Wike from continuing with his development efforts in the FCT, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
