By Sarah NEGEDU
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has again denied allegations of unilaterally allocating plots of land to his sons in the FCT, describing the claims as “sponsored blackmail” that have failed.
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister, Lere Olayinka, in a statement on Tuesday, insisted that no land has been allocated to any of the minister’s children despite recent claims suggesting otherwise.
This latest denial follows a similar rebuttal last week when the media aide refuted allegations that Wike allocated 2,082 hectares of land in the Asokoro and Maitama areas to his son Joaquim.
Lere 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.
“This week, it is tales of allocation of land to another son of the minister because documents showed allocation of lands to a company, Jordan Farms.”
He explained that the previous claim relied on documents showing land allocation for farming in Bwari Area Council to a company called JOAQ Farms, which has no connection to Wike’s son.
Regarding the current allegation involving another son, Jordan, and a company named Jordan Farms and Estates Limited, Lere said, “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.”
Wike’s spokesman insist that even though the minister’s sons and associates have the right to own lands anywhere in the country provided all necessary conditions are met, he maintains that no land has been allocated to any of the minister’s children as at today.
The SSA challenged those spreading the claims to publish ownership records, adding that, “Records of ownership of the company is available at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and we challenge purveyors of these stories to publish names of the company owners.”
He further dismissed the allegations of ownership based on shared names or signatures on documents, saying, ” 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?”
Lere, who accused an unnamed critic of the minister of struggling to get at the minister for supporting power rotation between northern and southern Nigeria, concluded that, “Just like the one of last week, this one too has failed even before its commencement.”
