Wike Allegedly Loots Abuja Lands, Allocates 2,082 Hectares Worth $3.6 Billion To Son In Maitama, Asokoro, Others – Report

• Story False, Should Be Disregarded – Minister’s Spokesperson

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has allegedly allotted
2,000 hectares, or 40,000 plots, in Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, and other parts of Abuja to his son Joaquin Wike, Peoples Gazette reports

Peoples Gazette, in the report, said it is still poring through a cornucopia of Abuja land allocations signed by Wike since he assumed office in August 2023.

The report said its early review has demonstrated how the minister prioritised allotments to his immediate family members, spurning federal regulations against abusing public office for personal enrichment.

While the legislation controlling land administration did not appear to contain sections that specifically ban a minister in charge of the federal capital from granting a piece of land to a family member, the transactions Mr Wike approved for his son were far-reaching and systemic enough to constitute illicit self-dealing, according to two officials in the minister’s office, the report noted.

The Gazette said officials estimated that the hectares Wike has issued to his son, along with certificates of occupancy, are worth at least $3.6 billion.

A plot in Maitama and Asokoro, where Mr. Wike gave his son at least seven hectares total, was recently sold for $1.28 and $1.4 million, respectively, according to documents reviewed by The Gazette.

The report further said Wike’s action was so brazen that when aides told him he needed to exercise caution, he dismissed their warnings, saying he wanted his children to be the largest landowners in the nation’s capital.

“When we told the minister in April that he needed to slow down on frequent allocations to his own children, he said he was just starting because his goal was to make them the largest landowners in Abuja,” an aide said, discussing the minister’s conduct under anonymity.

“We’ve worked with ministers before him, but we have never seen anything even remotely comparable to this.”

The report said most of the allocations are in developing communities, such as Kwaita, Bwari, and Gaduwa, where sources said Wike carefully selected them for their medium to long-term commercial prospects.

While it was unclear when the scheme was devised, documents showed Wike started allocating the lands to Joaquin days after a company named after him was registered in October 2024.

The company, Joaq Farms and Estates Ltd, was registered on October 10, 2024. Barely a week later, on October 17, 2024, Wike allocated 350 hectares to the business via file number 155882 and certificate of occupancy number 0000162.

The company listed its address as 13 Thaba Tseka Street, Wuse II, with Thaba misspelled on the documents as Theba. The address has long been associated with Mr Wike and his numerous fronts in the Nigerian capital, The Gazette learnt.

The report further stated that Wike on February 25, 2025, approved at least six certificates of occupancy for lands allocated to Joaquin across the Federal Capital Territory.

The documents reviewed by The Gazette were in file series 159134, 159136, 159137, 159138, 159139, and 159140.

While The Gazette could not obtain file 159135, officials said its allocation also went to Joaq Farms.

As recently as May 30, the FCT Minister personally signed the allocation of about 2.3 hectares for his son in Gaduwa District, where development has intensified in recent years.

The minister also seized land in the Central Area that was previously granted to the Austrian mission in Nigeria, reallocating the lucrative assets to himself.

The Gazette’s review showed Wike allocated roughly 2,082 hectares to Joaq Farms between October 2024 and May 2025.

Officials stated that the Minister approved more than 3,500 hectares for his son, but they were unable to provide the documents before this publication.

Officials said Joaquin can easily earn more than $3.6 billion on the assets, emphasising this was a conservative estimate.

“He has certificates of occupancy for all the lands, that’s what makes it even more lucrative,” an official said.

The officials who spoke under anonymity stated that the minister has prioritised acquiring as many assets as possible, despite failing to pay the salaries of municipal employees.

Several departments under the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, have gone several months without pay, including those attached to its broadcasting, environmental protection, and water bureaus, the report stated.

The Gazette learnt that at least five plots out of the 2.3 hectares Wike allocated to his son were seized from a middle-class family, who declined to comment to avoid being further targeted by the minister, even on the new property they relocated to.

A State House source told The Gazette that Wike’s behaviour had raised severe concern for the administration, but there was no clear way of dealing with him yet.

“Let me be honest with you and tell you that Nyesom Wike is a serious liability to the Tinubu administration,” an aide to the president said.

“While we’re focused on tackling the economy and insecurity, he’s busy seizing lands from Abuja residents and reallocating them to himself.”

The official said the president might not have the courage to deal with Wike anytime soon, especially as he wouldn’t want to create a fissure within his ranks amidst a looming general election.

“The president would eventually have to decide on what to do with the minister,” the official said. “But predicting whether that is going to be before or after the election is beyond my service charge.”

Anti-corruption campaigner Patience Okonkwo said Wike’s action should trigger an immediate and expansive probe of land administration under his watch.

“If I can speak on the documents I am seeing here, then I’d say this is unconscionable,” Mrs Okonkwo said after being shown the files by The Gazette.

“This takes public graft to a new level, and consequences should be severe in a serious country.”

But the Minister through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka denied the allegations.

Olayinka described the report as “another falsehood from the vault of those whose main job is to malign the FCT minister”.

In a statement on Thursday, Olayinka said “not even a single plot of land has been allocated to any of the Minister’s children.”

“In Asokoro and Maitama of today, where can the FCT minister see 2,082 hectares of land to allocate to anyone?”, he queried, adding that only quacks would go to town with the story of the allocation of 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama.

The FCT minister’s Spokesperson challenged the publisher to provide evidence of any land allocation bearing the name of any of the Minister’s children.

The statement read; “My attention has been drawn to yet, another malicious falsehood coming from the same elements whose job is to defame and malign the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike.

“Even though it is the right of the Minister and members of his family, both immediate and extended to own lands anywhere in Nigeria, including the FCT, provided all necessary conditions are met, no land has been allocated to any of his children.

“In the publication, a Right of Occupancy R-of-O issued to JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, for Agricultural purpose was the only evidence used to justify the claim.

“For the avoidance of doubt, JOAQ Farms and Estate Limited, a company duly registered in Nigeria, got land allocation in the Bwari Area Council for the purpose of farming.

“So what is wrong with a farmer getting land allocation strictly for the purpose of agriculture?

“Therefore, the publication, claiming that the FCT minister allocated 2,082 hectares of land to his son, is false and should be disregarded”, Olayinka added.

Credit: Peoples Gazette