By Adenike Lawal
Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has categorically denied reports claiming the minister allocated over 2,000 hectares of prime land in Abuja to his son.
The reports alleged that Wike awarded 2,082 hectares of land in the upscale Maitama and Asokoro districts to his son.
However, Olayinka dismissed the claims as entirely false and lacking any factual basis, challenging the publishers to produce credible evidence.
In a statement released on Thursday, Olayinka urged Nigerians to disregard what he described as a “baseless fabrication.”
He questioned the feasibility of the allegation, noting that it would be virtually impossible to find 2,082 hectares of available land in the heavily developed Maitama and Asokoro areas.
He clarified that the only land allocation referenced in the publication was a Right of Occupancy issued to JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, a registered Nigerian company, strictly for agricultural purposes.
The land, he noted, is not located in Maitama or Asokoro but in the Bwari Area Council, a more rural part of the FCT.
“For the record, JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited was allocated land strictly for farming. What is unlawful about a registered farm receiving land for agricultural development?” Olayinka queried.
He emphasized that linking the minister’s son to the allocation was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and discredit Wike’s administration.
“The claim that the minister awarded 2,082 hectares of land to his son is not only false but entirely implausible,” he said.
The statement concluded with a call for responsible journalism and urged the public to remain vigilant against misinformation intended to stir controversy.
