“I Have Documents Showing Wike Reduced His Son’s ₦200 Million Land Bill to ₦2 Million in 48 Hours” — Senator Ireti Kingibe

Senator Ireti Kingibe has levelled serious allegations against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of abusing his office in the allocation of land and handling of public resources in Abuja. In a televised interview with Arise TV, the senator claimed that Wike drastically reduced a ₦200 million land bill to just ₦2 million for his son, Joaquin Wike, describing the action as unethical and a clear abuse of power.

“I have documents to show that Minister Wike allocated large portions of land to his son. They wrote to him requesting a waiver on the ₦200 million bill, and within 48 hours, he slashed it to ₦2 million. At the very least, that is unfair and unethical,” she said during the interview.

Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate, said she plans to submit the documents to oversight authorities for proper investigation. She vowed to take the matter to the appropriate legislative body and called on President Bola Tinubu to address the alleged misconduct by his appointee.

The senator further accused Wike of running the FCT in a manner that ignores legal procedures and disrespects the rule of law. According to her, “The minister doesn’t obey the rule of law. He’s autocratic and doesn’t follow rules or laws. When you try to remind him that governance is based on law, he doesn’t accept it.”

Kingibe also criticised Wike for reinstating agencies without proper legal backing and bypassing the National Assembly. She raised concerns about the revocation of large portions of land belonging to the University of Abuja, claiming that 7,000 out of the university’s 11,000 hectares were taken and redistributed, which she said contravenes the Land Use Act.

“Abuja University had approximately 11,000 hectares. Minister Wike has revoked 7,000 and left them with four. It is definitely against the Land Use Act for you to take land from institutions and give them to individuals,” she said.

In another critique of Wike’s policies, the senator condemned the sacking of indigent women who had been employed as street sweepers, noting that the city has since grown dirtier in their absence. “Every minister has come and found the streets being cleaned by indigent women… He comes, he’s fired them all… Then he doesn’t replace them with mechanical street sweepers. So Abuja is looking dirty,” she said.

She also accused the minister of harassing both residents and diplomatic missions over ground rent, alleging that embassies have not been spared in the aggressive rent collection drive.

The allegations align with findings from an earlier report by The Peoples Gazette, which claimed that Wike had signed off over 2,000 hectares of prime Abuja land to his son since assuming office in August 2023. The report alleged that these allocations, which bypassed standard procedures and fees, included lands in Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, Bwari, and Gaduwa, with an estimated market value of $3.6 billion.

As the accusations gain public attention, calls for investigation and accountability continue to mount. Wike has yet to issue a formal response to the claims.