Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed recent allegations that land has been allocated to the Minister’s children, describing the claims as “sponsored blackmail” that has failed to gain traction.
Reports that emerged on June 26 alleged that Wike had allocated 2,082 hectares of land to one of his sons in the Maitama and Asokoro districts of Abuja. However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, Olayinka rejected these claims, asserting that those attempting to tarnish the Minister’s reputation would need to exert more effort, as such propaganda would not deter Wike from continuing his developmental agenda under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope initiative.
Olayinka explained that the accusations were based on misleading information, including the misuse of official documents.
He clarified that the document cited to support the claim actually referred to land allocated for farming in the Bwari Area Council to a company called JOAQ Farms, which is unrelated to the Minister’s family.
“Last week, it was unfounded and poorly executed propaganda about Wike allocating 2,082 hectares of land in Asokoro and Maitama to one of his sons, despite no such land being available in the two districts combined. The false claim was supported by a document showing land allocated for farming in Bwari Area Council to JOAQ Farms,” he said.
He added that similar claims surfaced the following week, alleging land allocations to another son based on documents showing land allotted to a company named Jordan Farms.
Olayinka reiterated that these companies are independent entities with no direct links to the Minister’s children.
“It is the right of the Minister’s children, friends, associates, and relatives to own land anywhere in the country, including the FCT, provided all legal conditions are met. To date, no land has been allocated to any of the Minister’s children,” he said.
Olayinka further clarified that Jordan Farms and Estates Limited is a duly registered Nigerian company, and none of the Minister’s children are directors or owners. He urged critics to publish the actual names of the owners rather than resorting to speculation.
“To draw an analogy, my name is Lere Olayinka, and there is a Lere Local Government in Kaduna State. Do I own the Local Government? Am I even from Kaduna State? There are also companies named Jordan Telecommunications and Jordan Foods. Are these owned by Wike’s son? Even in the UK, there is Jordan’s Farms. Does that imply ownership by Wike’s son?” he questioned.
Addressing allegations involving documents bearing the name and signature of one of the Minister’s security aides, Olayinka challenged the assumption of ownership.
“If I assist a friend or associate to collect property documents, does that make me the owner? The question is who owns Hyper Communications Limited?” he asked.
Olayinka attributed the accusations to political opponents resisting Wike’s position on power rotation between Nigeria’s North and South regions. He added, “Let that fellow from Adamawa State, who is struggling to attack the FCT Minister, try harder. Just like last week’s attempt, this one has failed before it even began.”
